Bridgend Council FOI Complaint Upheld by ICO

ICO Decision Notices

Filed March 18th, 2026

Detected March 24th, 2026

Summary

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has upheld a complaint against Bridgend County Borough Council for failing to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request within the statutory 20 working days. The council has been directed to provide a substantive response to the request.

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What changed

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a decision notice finding that Bridgend County Borough Council breached section 10 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) by failing to provide a substantive response to a complainant's request within the mandated 20 working days. This decision upholds the complainant's FOI request and requires the council to rectify its non-compliance.

Bridgend County Borough Council must now provide a full response to the original information request. Compliance officers within local government authorities should review their internal processes for handling FOI requests to ensure adherence to statutory timelines and avoid similar breaches. Failure to comply with ICO decision notices can lead to further regulatory action.

What to do next

Provide a substantive response to the FOI request.
Review internal FOI handling procedures to ensure compliance with statutory timelines.

Source document (simplified)

Bridgend County Borough Council

Date 18 March 2026
Sector Local government
Decision(s) FOI 10(1): Upheld The complainant requested information from Bridgend County Borough Council. The Commissioner’s decision is that the public authority failed to respond to the request within 20 working days and has therefore breached section 10 of FOIA. The public authority must provide a substantive response to the request in accordance with its obligations under FOIA.