Information Commissioner's Office

Bridgend County Borough Council

9 December 2005, Local government (Borough council)

The complainant requested a copy of a food hygiene inspection report for a local hotel. Bridgend CBC refused the request, citing section 31 of the Act ('law enforcement'). The Council argued that it promotes an informal approach to inspections, and disclosure of this type of information would be detrimental to the relationship between the Council's inspectors and businesses. This in turn would result in prejudice to the exercise of the Council's regulatory functions under the Food Safety Act, and would therefore not be in the public interest. The Commissioner decided that the Council has not demonstrated prejudice and therefore the exemption at section 31 was applied inappropriately in this case. Accordingly, the Commissioner requires the Council to provide the information requested to the complainant.

FOI 31: Upheld