University of Leicester

The complainant has requested information relating to support available to students for English language speaking. The University refused the request, citing section 12 (cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit) of FOIA and later cited section 12(4) and 14(1) (vexatious requests). The Commissioner’s decision is that the University wasn’t entitled to refuse the request under section 12(1) or aggregate the request and refuse it under section 12(4). Furthermore, the request doesn’t engage section 14(1). The University also breached section 16(1) (duty to provide advice and assistance) of FOIA. The Commissioner requires the public authority to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation: in relation to the refined request of 28 June 2025, the University must either disclose the information or issue a refusal notice that doesn’t rely upon section 12 or section 14.