16 June 2016, Local government (County council)
The complainant has made a series of requests to Cambridgeshire County Council (“the council”) for information relating to a historic planning application and the council’s management of the complainant’s related information requests. The council refused the requests under section 14(1) of the Freedom of Information Act (“the FOIA”) and regulation 12(4)(b) of the Environmental Information Regulations (“the EIR”). The complainant subsequently contested the council’s refusal. The Commissioner’s decision is that the council has correctly refused the requests under section 14(1) of the FOIA and regulation 12(4)(b) of the EIR. However the council provided its refusal notice out of time, and breached the requirement of section 17(1) of the FOIA and regulation 14(2) of the EIR. The Commissioner does not require any steps to be taken.
FOI 14: Not upheld FOI 17: Upheld EIR 12(4)(b): Not upheld EIR 14(2): Upheld