01
Source it
Material factual claims are linked to official documents, data or an identifiable primary source.
The work
Challenge power with evidence people can check.
The Foster Standard is Patrick Foster’s independent public-accountability platform, focused on the decisions that affect people who live, work, raise families, pay tax and keep their communities going.
This platform follows the public money, the policy promises and the performance data. It gives public bodies a fair opportunity to answer, then puts both the evidence and response on the record.
The standard
How every campaign will be run
02
Ask for an answer
The institution responsible is asked to respond to substantive evidence before publication.
03
Demand a remedy
Every investigation ends with practical changes that can be measured and checked.
The campaign programme
Government is accountable in every area of public life.
The work will cover the policies, spending and service failures that shape everyday life. Each area is investigated through records, evidence submissions and clear questions to the people responsible.
Border control & asylum administration
Processing, accommodation costs, enforcement, transparency and the local consequences of national decisions.
Tax & cost of living
Household bills, food, fuel, fiscal drag, small business costs and whether public spending gives value.
Housing & local growth
Planning, social housing, infrastructure, empty homes and whether local communities are heard.
Public services
NHS access, SEND, social care, policing, courts, roads, transport and complaint handling.
Work & enterprise
Licensing, regulation, procurement, skills and the barriers faced by local employers and the self-employed.
Crime, safety & justice
Neighbourhood safety, anti-social behaviour, victims' experience and public confidence in outcomes.
Democratic accountability
FOI compliance, consultation, council spending, conflicts, decision records and public scrutiny.
Local government
Councils, public bodies and local partnerships: what they spend, decide, deliver and fail to explain.
First investigation
The Cost of Failed Government
This will be the first evidence briefing: a defined spending failure, what Government promised, what the documents show, and the cost carried by the public.
- Set the exact question and public body responsible.
- Build the source file from official reports, data and parliamentary records.
- Request a formal response before publication.
- Publish the evidence, response and three required actions.
Evidence first
A public platform that makes serious scrutiny possible.
Documents
Official reports, FOI disclosures, accounts, minutes, decisions and correspondence form the core record.
Experience
People can submit a concern with the relevant paperwork, dates and public body involved.
Corrections
Where the record is wrong or incomplete, it will be corrected clearly and promptly.
Direct public advocacy, conducted lawfully.Criticism will address policies, decisions and institutional performance. This platform does not publish personal information, encourage confrontation or make unverified allegations about individuals.
Evidence submissions
Have documents that deserve an answer?
Prepare a concise outline with the public body involved, dates, the decision or failure you are challenging, and copies or links to the key documents.
All submissions should be lawful to share. Do not include private medical information, children’s information, passwords or material covered by a court restriction.