Information Commissioner's Office

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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> Information Commissioner's Office >> Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Central government) [2021] UKICO IC-44478 (24 March 2021)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKICO/2021/ic-44478.html
Cite as: [2021] UKICO IC-44478

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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

The complainant has requested the minutes of the government’s Windrush Commemorative Committee (WCC) and evidence of settlers’ arrival from the Caribbean in the 1950s/60s at Waterloo Station. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) withheld the minutes citing section 35(1)a – information relating to the formulation of government policy. It said it did not hold information concerning settlers’ arrivals at Waterloo Station. The Commissioner’s decision is that the MHCLG correctly engaged section 35(1)a for the minutes of WCC meetings held between June 2018 and June 2019. However, the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption. For the minutes from meetings after 22 June 2019 until the time of the request, the exemption is not engaged. She also finds that on the balance of probability, the Ministry does not hold information about settlers arrivals at London Waterloo Station. The Commissioner requires the public authority to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation. Disclose the nine sets of minutes from the WCC produced from June 2018 until the date of the request.

FOI 35(1)(a): Complaint upheld FOI 1: Complaint not upheld

Decision notice: IC-44478