London Borough of Southwark Upheld for FOIA Response Failure

The ICO issued a Decision Notice upholding a complaint that the London Borough of Southwark failed to respond to a Freedom of Information request within the required 20 working days. The authority must now provide the complainant with a substantive response within 30 calendar days.

Public authorities subject to FOIA should ensure robust processes for tracking and responding to information requests within statutory timeframes. While no financial penalty was imposed, failure to comply with the ICO's remedial order could result in further enforcement action.