We are in the process of being stitched up by the very government that we pay for.

They, along with a whole host of taxpayer-funded public bodies, are sick of us being able to use the Freedom of Information Act to shine a light on how they make their decisions, how they spend our money and how they sometimes make mistakes.

The Independent Commission on Freedom of Information, created to review the working of the legislation, is stacked full of people who already hate the measure that shone a light on the workings of central and local government, the NHS and a whole host of organisations such as the police, Highways England and schools.

These bodies affect every part of our lives yet the government is determined to replace an already inadequate level of transparency with a shroud of secrecy. You have to ask why.

The commission is not even being asked whether it would be right to strengthen our rights to access information on the services that are being provided in our name.

Their remit is to consider whether those asking for information should be charged, whether to make it easier for public bodies to refuse requests on costs grounds and whether discussions between public servants should be kept secret.

The commission, made up of members of the establishment, is also being asked whether government ministers should have more powers to veto disclosures of information that could embarrass politicians and members of the establishment. I wonder which way they will go.

"They would rather employ armies of public relations specialists at great cost massaging the message rather than a pitiful amount of public money telling the public what they want to know about public servants."

All of this is nonsense. There would be no need for a Freedom of Information Act if the public bodies we pay for were more open and transparent with the information that already belongs to us. But they don't see it that way.

They would rather employ armies of public relations and communications specialists at great cost massaging the message rather than a pitiful amount of public money telling the public what they want to know about public servants and what they get up to.

There is still time to contribute to the consultation.

You can email foi.commission@justice.gsi.gov.uk or write to Independent Commission on Freedom of Information, Post point 9.54, 9th Floor, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ

You can find out more on the review by clicking here.

For arguments on the need for greater transparency and a strengthening of the act, click here, here and here.