Cornwall Council

The complainant requested copies of information revealing the source of comments made in an email he received from Cornwall Council (“the council”), which the complainant said had accused him of disclosing confidential information inappropriately. The council refused to provide the information, relying on the exemption under section 42(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the FOIA”). This exemption relates to legal professional privilege. The complainant asked the Commissioner to decide whether the information had been correctly withheld. The Commissioner’s decision is that some information has been correctly withheld using section 42(1). The remaining information is the complainant’s own personal data and is therefore exempt under section 40(1) of the FOIA. The Commissioner does not require any steps to be taken.