Shropshire Council Facing ICO Enforcement Notice Over Poor Freedom of Information Compliance Levels

The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) reprimanded Shropshire Council for their weak handling of Freedom Of Information requests. Despite planning to clear the FOI request backlog by March, 143FOI requests still remained unanswered at the end of April. The enforcement notice requires the council to respond to all outstanding FOI requests over 20working days old within six months and also devise and publish an action plan to mitigate any further delays in responding to future FOI requests, within a 35day period. Under Section 52 of the FOIA, failure to comply with the enforcement notice may lead to the council being found guilty of contempt of court. The ICO is committed to promoting openness, transparency and accountability, thereby holding public authorities to account for their FOI request handling.