Thurrock Council
- Date 30 August 2024
- Sector Local government
- Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld, FOI 43: Not upheld
The complainant has requested a copy of a letter sent to Thurrock Council (the Council) by a financial consultancy firm. The Council refused to disclose the requested information, citing section 43(2) (commercial interests) of FOIA as its basis for doing so. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Council correctly applied section 43(2) of FOIA to withhold the requested information, and that the public interest favours maintaining the exemption. However, the Council breached section 10(1) of FOIA as it failed to provide a response within the statutory 20 working day timeframe. The Commissioner does not require the Council to take any steps.