Stretham Parish Council

The complainant requested specified information relating to bullying and intimidation allegations. Stretham Parish Council (the ‘Parish Council’) responded and said that the requested information would not be provided as it was of a confidential and sensitive nature and disclosure would prejudice the criminal investigation, but cited no FOIA exemptions in order to withhold this information. The Commissioner asked the Parish Council to respond formally in accordance with the requirements of FOIA and to do so in the form of an internal review. Ultimately, one individual provided a single screen shot. From the available evidence, the Parish Council has not responded further to the request in any way. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Parish Council has not responded appropriately to either part of the request and has thereby breached sections 1 and 17 of FOIA for the reasons set out in this notice. The Commissioner requires the Parish Council authority to issue a fresh response to parts 1 and 2 of the request set out in paragraph 5 within 35 calendar days of the date of this notice. First-tier tribunal (General Regulatory chamber) information rights appeal EA/2022/0456 struck out.
Keywords: Procedural issues