ICO Upholds FOI Complaint Against Waltham Forest Council

ICO Decision Notices

Filed March 12th, 2026

Detected March 17th, 2026

Summary

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has upheld a Freedom of Information (FOI) complaint against Waltham Forest Council for failing to respond to a request within the statutory 20 working days. The ICO has ordered the council to provide a response within 30 calendar days.

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What changed

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a decision notice upholding a complaint against Waltham Forest Council. The council failed to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request within the legally mandated 20 working days. The ICO's decision requires the council to provide the complainant with a substantive response to their request within 30 calendar days, thereby enforcing compliance with FOIA.

This decision highlights the importance of timely responses to FOI requests for public authorities. Compliance officers within local government should ensure that internal processes are robust enough to meet statutory deadlines. Failure to comply with the ICO's order could lead to further regulatory action. The immediate required action for Waltham Forest Council is to issue the requested response within the specified 30-day period.

What to do next

Respond to the FOI request within 30 calendar days

Penalties

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Source document (simplified)

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Date 12 March 2026
Sector Local government
Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld The public authority has failed to respond to this request within 20 working days, as specified under FOIA. The Commissioner requires it to provide the complainant with a response to this request within 30 calendar days in accordance with its obligations under FOIA.