Calls to protect transparency amid possible restriction of FOI law

​Reports that the Government is considering restricting Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have sparked concerns about implications for accountability and transparency of local decision-making.

​The Financial Times (FT) reported that the Government is considering introducing restrictions on FOI requests by reducing the cost ceiling for processing Freedom of Information requests as the number of annual submissions has increased.

​Currently, the cost threshold for complying with a request is set at £450 for public bodies and £600 for central government, but this could be reduced.

​Cllr Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, an Independent on North Yorkshire Council, said: “Materials obtained through Freedom of Information requests are very important for the public and those who represent them.

​“As a councillor, I regularly use websites such as whatdotheyknow.com to see what information has been disclosed by public bodies. This helps me hold the council to account.

​“Some public bodies already exploit clauses in the current legislation to avoid being open and transparent.

“The proposed changes to FOI legislation will make public bodies less accountable.”

​The Freedom of Information Act provides public access to information held by public authorities by obliging public authorities to publish certain information about their activities, and by entitling members of the public to request information from public authorities.

​More than 10 million people have made an FOI request since the law came into force in 2005, according to Warren Seddon, director of FOI and transparency at the Information Commissioner’s Office.

​Responding to the reports, Dawn Alford, Chief Executive of the Society of Editors, said: “The Freedom of Information Act is a vital mechanism for ensuring accountability and transparency in government, and any attempt to restrict the scope of the legislation would be damaging to democracy.

​“The Prime Minister has spoken of his desire to restore trust and integrity in UK politics and the importance of openness and transparency. Restricting the scope of freedom of information requests – a vital tool for both the media and the public to hold government to account – would run counter to these objectives. We urge officials to urgently rethink such plans.”

​Labour councillor and former journalist, John Ritchie, said: “ I share the concerns expressed by leaders in the newspaper industry.

​“As a member of North Yorkshire Council, I fully appreciate that researching complicated and involved FOI requests can be costly and time consuming for local government employees, but this must be balanced against the damage this proposed reduction in costs would cause, foremost a lack of transparency and openness at a time when politicians of all hues need to rebuild public trust.”

​Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said it “would be concerning if people are having to pay more to get less”.

​Calls for “clarity” have also been made by the News Media Association (NMA), which represents the UK’s national and regional news businesses, citing the FT’s reporting.

​NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said: “It is not routine or trivial requests that would be excluded.

“It is the most sensitive and significant ones – those involving complex decision-making, high-value contracts, safeguarding, multi-agency correspondence, and procurement.”

​In March, the Government announced its Local Media Strategy with up to £12 million in funding to help local news publishers invest in digital technology and support community radio stations.

​The strategy states that “there is more that local authorities and other local public services can do in partnership with local media […], including through increased openness in providing local journalists with access to information”.