Information Commissioner's Office

Bromesberrow Parish Council

5 July 2007, Local government (Parish council)

Bromesberrow Parish Council (the “Council”) received a request for information from two complainants. The complainants requested information concerning a donation the Council had allegedly made to a miners’ memorial, and the reasons why the public were not made aware of this donation. The complainants did not receive a response and so complained, separately, to the Commissioner. Following the Commissioner’s intervention, the Council confirmed that no such donation had been made and the requested information was therefore not held by the Council. The Council issued a fees notice totalling £560 to the complainants to cover the cost of staff time spent on this matter. The complainants indicated they wished to complain about the fees notices, and so the Commissioner asked to consider both complaints together in determining whether the fees notice was lawful. The Commissioner has concluded that whilst the Council has confirmed that it does not hold the information requested by the complainants, it did so late, and was therefore not entitled to issue a fees notice in respect of the request.

FOI 1: Not upheld