Information Commissioner's Office

Jesus College Cambridge

21 August 2017, Education (University)

The complainant has requested information relating to the North Barton Road Landowners Group (NBRLOG), of which the College is a member. The requested information included correspondence between the College and the consultants representing the group. The College withheld the information under the exceptions provided by regulation 12(5)(b) – course of justice and 12(5)(e) – commercial confidentiality. As well as the application of these exceptions the complainant was concerned that the College had not identified all the information falling within the scope of his request. The Commissioner’s decision is that the College has correctly identified the information captured by the request. Although the majority of the information withheld under regulation 12(5)(b) does engage the exception, some, particularly covering emails to the legal advice, does not. The Commissioner finds that only a very limited amount of the information withheld under regulation 12(5)(e) engages the exception, primarily information relating to a particular stakeholder and the monetary values of the fees charged by consultants. The Commissioner requires the public authority to disclose the information which is not exempt by virtue of either regulation 12(5)(b) or (e) subject to limited redactions in respect of third party personal data. It is also required to disclose the information which the College no longer considers confidential due to its release by another college, subject to the necessary redactions in respect of third party personal data.

EIR 12(5)(b): Partly upheld EIR 12(5)(e): Partly upheld