The complainant requested information from Epsom and Ewell Borough Council relating to outsourcing to solicitors or barristers. The council supplied information relating to three years only and relied upon section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the exclusion relating to the costs limit, for the remainder. The Commissioner’s decision is that the council was not obliged to comply with the request because section 12(1) was engaged. The only reasonable advice and assistance the council could have provided would have been to suggest that the request was refined to the three year period for which it disclosed information. In view of this, the Commissioner has concluded that the council satisfied its obligation under section 16(1) of the FOIA. The Commissioner does not require any steps to be taken.
Section of Act/EIR and Finding: FOI 12 – Complaint Not upheld, FOI 16 – Complaint Not upheld
Citations:
[2012] UKICO FS50434771
Links:
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Information
Updated: 27 August 2022; Ref: scu.529728