Secrecy row City council legal challenge thrown out by judge

A JUDGE has thrown out an unprecedented appeal from a top lawyer at Bristol City Council in a row over secrecy.

- Alex SEABROOK Local democracy reporter

A regulator ordered the council to improve its record on transparency, prompting the legal boss to challenge the enforcement notice instead of simply complying with it.

Last year the Information Commissioner's Office ordered the council to get better at responding to freedom of information (Fol) requests, after revealing Bristol was one of the most complained about councils in the country. Some requests take many months before a response is ever sent.

Last month Tim O'Gara, director of legal and democratic services, faced questions about why he chose to appeal the notice, and without consulting councillors. Now a judge from the First-tier Tribunal has finally dismissed the appeal and urged the council to improve its responses to Fols.

Judge Gilda Kiai said: "Significant delays can cause real difficulties to applicants, who often need information within a particular period of time for important reasons. It cannot be correct or fair for requests to not be dealt with for three years without any sanctions."