Dragon attacks, pet exorcisms and meteor showers: The 10 most bizarre FoI requests sent to local councils
The Local Government Association has compiled a list of the weirdest inquiries from concerned residents across England
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Your support makes all the difference.It appears that Game of Thrones is having a far more serious effect on fans than previously thought, after one person in Wigan sent a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to their local council demanding to know what emergency measures were in place in the event of a dragon attack.
The request has topped the list of the wackiest inquiries sent to local councils by residents across England.
After dragon attacks, the second weirdest request was how many animals had been frozen in Cambridge since March 2012. Meanwhile in Rossendale, Lancashire, the council was quizzed over the number of times it had paid for exorcisms and psychic healers to perform services on people – and animals.
In Worthing, West Sussex, the borough council was asked about the precautions and planning that had been undertaken in the event of an asteroid crash in the area.
Other bizarre questions included asking how many people had tiger and panther licences in Scarborough and the number of roundabouts in the boundaries of Leicestershire County Council.
The top 10 has been put together by the Local Government Association, which represents local authorities at a national level.
Local authorities can, however, refuse to answer a request if it is “considered vexatious” or sent repeatedly, if it is too expensive, or if the information is not allowed to be disclosed.
The 10 weirdest FoI requests sent to councils
1. What plans are in place to protect the town from a dragon attack? (Wigan Council)
2. Please list all the types of animals you have frozen since March 2012, including the type and quantity of each animal? (Cambridge City Council)
3. How many times has the council paid for the services of an exorcist, psychic or religious healer? Were the services performed on an adult, child, pet or building? (Rossendale Council)
4. Please can you let me know how many roundabouts are located within your council boundaries? (Leicestershire County Council)
5. What precautions, preparations, planning and costings have been undertaken in the case an asteroid crashes into Worthing, a meteorite landing in Worthing or solar activity disrupting electromagnetic fields? (Worthing Borough Council)
6. How many holes in privacy walls between cubicles have been found in public toilets and within council buildings in the last 10 years? (Rossendale Council)
7. How many bodies are there in mortuaries that have been unclaimed for 10 years? How long have these bodies been in the mortuary? How old were they when they died? Is it possible to have the names of these people? (Richmond Council)
8. How many people in the town have a licence to keep a tiger, lion, leopard, lynx or panther as a pet? (Scarborough Council)
9. How many requests were made to council-run historic public-access buildings (e.g. museums) requesting to bring a team of 'ghost investigators' into the building? (Birmingham Council)
10. How many children in the care of the council have been micro-chipped? (Southend Council)
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