London Borough of Hillingdon

The complainant has requested a copy of the Deed of Variation regarding a contract to run local leisure services. The London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) withheld this information on the basis of section 41(1), information provided in confidence, and section 43(2), commercial interests. The Commissioner’s decision is that neither exemption is engaged. The Commissioner also finds that LBH breached section 17(1) as it did not confirm the specific exemption it was relying on within the statutory timeframe. The Commissioner requires LBH to disclose the requested information. The public authority 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.