Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: Following the identification of a significant overspend in the Housing Revenue Account of Stroud District Council (the -�Council-�), the complainant requested information relating to the retirement of the former Strategy Director, one of the key officials apparently charged with overseeing the account. Although the Council provided some information relating to the request, it refused to release details of the retirement package pursuant to section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the -�Act-�). The Commissioner is satisfied that disclosure of the requested information would not be fair for the purposes of the first data protection principle. The exemption provided by section 40(2) is therefore engaged and the public authority is not required to take any steps. The Commissioner, however, finds the Council to have breached sections 17(1), 17(1)(b) and 17(1)(c) of the Act in its handling of the request. Information Tribunal appeal number EA/2010/0165 dismissed.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 17 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 40 - Complaint Not upheld