Information Commissioner's Office

Powys County Council

26 April 2017, Local government (County council)

The complainant has requested salary, pay scale, car lease and pension contributions for senior employees of Powys County Council (the council). The council provided some information and withheld the remainder under section 40(2) and section 21 as the information was either third party personal data, or was otherwise reasonably accessible to the applicant. The Commissioner’s decision is that the council did not correctly engage section 21 with regard to the salary, pay scale and pension information of employees earning over £60,000. The Commissioner also found that the council was entitled to rely on section 40(2) to withhold the outstanding requested information. The Commissioner requires the public authority to take steps to ensure compliance with section 21.

FOI 21: Upheld FOI 40: Not upheld