London Borough of Lambeth

The complainant requested information from the London Borough of Lambeth (“the Council”) relating to the number of children taken into care in the borough. The Council refused to comply with the request citing section 12 (cost limit) of FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Council was entitled to refuse to comply with the request in accordance with section 12(1) of FOIA. However, it has breached section 16 of the Act by not providing assistance on how the complainant could reduce the scope of their request so that it may fall within the appropriate limit. The Commissioner requires the Council to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation: Provide the complainant with reasonable assistance on how to limit the scope of their request so that it can be complied with within the appropriate limit.