Kent County Council

The complainant has requested information relating to a potential Trading Standards investigation. In relation to parts 1-6 of the request Kent County Council refused to confirm or deny whether the information was held, relying on section 44(2) of the FOIA (the exemption from disclosure for any information whose disclosure would be otherwise prohibited by another piece of legislation). In relation to part 7 of the request, it directed the complainant to information on its website. The Commissioner’s decision is that Kent County Council correctly applied section 44(2) to parts 1-6 of the request and that its response to part 7 of the request complied with section 1(1). The Commissioner does not require the public authority to take any steps. Information Tribunal appeal EA/2021/0221 appeal struck out.