Newport City Council
- Date 19 May 2022
- Sector Local government
- Decision(s) EIR 12 3: Not upheld, EIR 13: Not upheld
The complainant requested information from Newport City Council (the ”Council”) regarding correspondence between an applicant and planning officers. The Council initially considered the information was exempt from disclosure under Section 40(2) (personal information) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). During the course of the Commissioner’s investigation the Council amended its position relying on the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and cited Regulation 12(3) (third party personal information) and regulation 13 of the EIR to withhold the requested information. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Council is entitled to rely on regulation 12(3) and Regulation 13 of the EIR to withhold the requested information. The Commissioner does not require the public authority to take any further steps. First-tier tribunal (General Regulatory chamber) information rights appeal EA/2022/0138 dismissed.