East Hampshire District Council

The complainant asked the Council for information concerning the job descriptions of employees who had attended particular training courses. The complainant also requested information concerning the Council’s application of the Hay job evaluation process. The Council withheld part of the requested information under section 40 (personal information). It withheld information concerning the Hay job evaluation process under section 36 (prejudice to the effective conduct of public affairs). The Commissioner agreed that part of the requested information was exempt under section 40 but decided that the information withheld under section 36 should be released. He also found that the Council had breached section 17 of the Act by its failure to address the public interest test in respect of its application of section 36.