Information Commissioner's Office

University of Bolton

7 December 2015, Education (University)

The complainant requested from the University of Bolton (“the University”) copies of minutes and papers for a meeting of its Board of Governors in November 2014. The University applied section 14(1) to the request and section 21(1) to part of the request. The Commissioner’s decision is that the University has incorrectly applied section 14(1) to the whole of the request and has incorrectly applied section 21(1) to part of the request. The Commissioner requires the public authority to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation. In relation to the complainant’s request for the Financial Statements accompanying the agenda for the Board of Governors’ meeting, to provide the complainant with the information to which it has applied section 21(1). In relation to the remaining parts of the request, to provide the complainant with a fresh response under FOIA, which does not rely on section 14(1). The public authority must take these steps within 35 calendar days of the date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section 54 of the Act and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.

FOI 14: Upheld FOI 21: Upheld