ICO Decision Notice: Bradford Council Disclosure of School Preference Data

ICO Decision Notices

Filed February 18th, 2026

Detected February 26th, 2026

Summary

The ICO has issued a decision notice against Bradford Council regarding the disclosure of school preference data. The Council must disclose redacted spreadsheets containing no personal data to the complainant within 30 days, as they incorrectly withheld some information under FOIA section 40(2).

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What changed

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has ruled that the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (BMDC) must disclose redacted school preference data to a complainant. While BMDC correctly withheld direct identifiers under FOIA section 40(2) (third party personal information), the ICO found that not all of the requested information constituted personal data. The decision notice requires BMDC to disclose the redacted spreadsheets it shared with the ICO.

BMDC is required to take these steps within 30 calendar days of the decision notice date. Failure to comply could result in the ICO certifying the non-compliance to the High Court, potentially leading to contempt of court proceedings. This action highlights the importance of accurate data classification and disclosure under data protection and freedom of information legislation for public authorities.

What to do next

Disclose redacted school preference spreadsheets to the complainant within 30 days.
Ensure all disclosed data contains no personal information.

Penalties

Failure to comply may result in certification to the High Court and potential contempt of court proceedings.

Source document (simplified)

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Date 18 February 2026
Sector Local government
Decision(s) FOI 40(2): Not upheld
The complainant has requested data and information on the “Admissions Expressed’ spreadsheet for Reception 2025 including parental preferences for three Carlton Academy Trust schools. The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (BMDC) initially relied on section 22 (information intended for future publication) but revised its position to rely on section 40(2) of FOIA (third party personal information) to withhold the information.
The Commissioner’s decision is that BMDC has correctly relied on section 40(2) of FOIA to withhold some of the information, namely the direct identifiers which are personal data. The Commissioner finds, however, that not all of the information is personal data.
The Commissioner requires BMDC to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation. • Disclose the redacted spreadsheets, containing no personal data, which it shared with the Commissioner, to the complainant.
BMDC must take these steps within 30 calendar days of the date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court pursuant to section 54 of the Act and may be dealt with as a contempt of court.