Goldsmiths, University of London

The Commissioner’s decision is that Goldsmiths’ College, (‘the College’) is entitled to rely on section 12(1) of FOIA to refuse the complainant’s request for information about contracts. This is because complying with the request would exceed the appropriate cost limit. However, the College should have offered the complainant advice and assistance to help them submit a refined request, and therefore it didn’t comply with its obligation under section 16(1) of FOIA.
The Commissioner requires the College to take the following step to ensure compliance with the legislation: Provide the complainant with appropriate advice and assistance to help them formulate a request that is likely to fall within the appropriate cost limit.