Decision notice IC-99469-F2W4

The complainant requested information from Brighton and Hove City Council (the Council) regarding contacts between the Council and a third party between January 2019 and the date of the request. The Council had failed to provide a substantive response to the request by the date of this notice. The Commissioner’s decision is that the Council failed to complete its deliberations on the balance of the public interest within a reasonable time and has therefore breached section 17(3) of the FOIA. The Commissioner requires the Council to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation. Issue a substantive response or refusal notice, in accordance with its obligations under the FOIA, to the request. The Council must take these steps within 35 calendar days of the date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section 54 of the FOIA and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.