London Borough of Hillingdon

The complainant has requested information about costs associated with the London Borough of Hillingdon’s in-house legal services department. Some information was provided but the remainder of the request was refused because responding to it would have exceeded the cost limit. The Commissioner’s decision is that the London Borough was entitled to rely on section 12 of the FOIA to refuse the request. However, she also finds that the London Borough failed to discharge its section 16 duty to provide adequate advice and assistance. The Commissioner requires the London Borough to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation: provide the complainant with advice and assistance to help him refine his request such that it falls within the cost limit.