Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

The complainant requested information from Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (“the Council”) relating to briefing notes prepared for liaisons or quarterly meetings with local MPs. The Council withheld the information under section 36(2) of the FOIA because it considered that disclosure would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs. The Commissioner’s decision is that the exemption at section 36(2) of the FOIA is engaged in respect of all of the withheld information. However, the public interest favours disclosure of some of the information that has been withheld. The Commissioner requires the Council to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation: subject to paragraph 96 of the notice, disclose the information which has been highlighted in green on the confidential schedule of documents provided to the Council by the ICO with this notice.