Information Commissioner found delayed replies and inconsistencies
The Information Commissioner says Ramsey Commissioners redacted information 'without justification' in response to an FOI request into its plans for a changing hut on Ramsey South Beach.
In a report, Dr Alexandra Delaney-Bhattacharya found the local authority had responded to the initial request six days past the deadline.
The applicant had specifically requested correspondence relating to safeguarding concerns about its plans for South Beach on 21 December 2023.
However, the local authority sent its redacted response back past the statutory deadline and the applicant requested a review of the information on 2 February 2024.
The commissioners responded on 27 March stating all the information had been provided and offered ‘supplementary information’.
Dr Delaney-Bhattacharya found information in the emails had been redacted without explaining the ‘practical refusal reasons’ or exemptions.
She added that the redactions were ‘inconsistent’.
As part of her review process, she also requested details of the commissioner’s search to collect the information - these were in the form of two emails.
She found the first email sent was from the Deputy Town Clerk to the Deputy Town Clerk and had the recipients blind carbon copied into it which is ‘not sufficient’ evidence of a search for the information.
The Information Commissioner says she was ‘not furnished’ with details of the second email including who received it and what responses were provided.
She also found in her report, that there was a ‘lack of diligence’ for allowing people to not respond to the email request for information.
Dr Delaney- Bhattacharya added the ‘failure’ of individuals to reply leaves the scope and nature of their searches unverified.
Ramsey Commissioners has been ordered to either disclose the information requested to the applicant or provide a further refusal notice.
The full report can be found here.
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