ICO Upholds Complaint Against Birmingham City Council for Delayed Planning Information

ICO Decision Notices

Filed January 31st, 2026

Detected February 11th, 2026

Summary

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has upheld a complaint against Birmingham City Council for failing to provide planning information within the statutory 20-working-day timeframe. The ICO found the council in breach of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR).

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What changed

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a decision notice upholding a complaint against Birmingham City Council. The council was found to have failed to comply with regulation 5 of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) by not providing requested planning information within the statutory 20-working-day limit. The ICO has determined that no further steps are required beyond this finding.

This decision serves as a reminder to local government bodies of their obligations under the EIR to respond to information requests promptly. While no penalties are specified in this instance, continued non-compliance could lead to further regulatory action. Compliance officers should ensure their organizations have robust processes for handling information requests within the stipulated timeframes.

What to do next

Review internal processes for handling Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) requests to ensure compliance with statutory timeframes.

Source document (simplified)

Birmingham City Council

Date 31 January 2026
Sector Local government
Decision(s) EIR 5: Upheld The Commissioner has decided that Birmingham City Council failed to comply with regulation 5 of the EIR because it didn’t provide the recorded information it holds about a planning application within the statutory 20‑working‑day timeframe. The Commissioner doesn’t require further steps.