Information Commissioner's Office

Southwark Council

5 June 2007, Local government (District council)

The complainant asked the Council for information about the criteria it used to determine the appropriate grades for its staff positions. The request required disclosure of information about the Council’s application of the Hay job evaluation scheme. The Council withheld the requested information under section 43 of the Act on the grounds that release would prejudice the commercial interests of Hay Group. The Commissioner decided that the Council had incorrectly withheld the information under the Act and that the information should therefore be released. He also decided that the Council had breached section 1 of the Act by its failure to provide information to which the complainant was entitled. He found that the Council had also breached section 17 of the Act by its failure to specify the exemption on which it relied to withhold part of the requested information and that it had failed to address the public interest test in respect of its withholding of all the requested information.

FOI 17: Upheld