Information Commissioner's Office

South Essex Homes

4 December 2017, Other

The complainant has submitted a number of requests for information to South Essex Housing. In two of his requests, the complainant has asked to be provided with the agreements with Essex and Suffolk Water and Anglian Water for the collection costs of water supply and sewerage services, and with copies of the advice of reductions in billing to the Council and SEH from the Water Companies resulting from the installation of water meters. The Commissioner finds that SEH provided the complainant with the agreement Southend on Sea Borough Council has with Northumberland Water. The Commissioner has decided that SEH breached section 10 of the FOIA by providing this information outside of the twenty working days compliance period which that section requires. The Commissioner has decided that SEH does not hold information concerning the advice of reductions in billing to SBC/SEH from Water Companies resulting from the installation of meters in the Borough. The Commissioner has found that SEH does hold recorded information which is relevant to this, but she has decided that SEH is entitled to rely on section 40(2) to withhold it. The Commissioner has decided that SEH has breached section 10 and 17 in the way it has dealt with the complainant’s requests.

FOI 40: Not upheld FOI 10: Upheld FOI 17: Upheld