Kent County Council

The complainant has requested information from Kent County Council (“the council”) relating to the reasons for specified meetings being cancelled. The council said that it did not hold any information falling within the scope of the request. The Commissioner’s decision is that, on the balance of probabilities, the council has not demonstrated that it does not hold any information falling within the scope of the request. The Commissioner has therefore decided that the council has not complied with section 1(1) of FOIA. The Commissioner requires the council to take the following steps to ensure compliance with the legislation: Carry out adequate and proportionate searches for recorded information falling within the scope of the request, including (but not limited to) emails, calendar records, and other electronic communications relating to the cancellation of the specified meetings; Confirm to the complainant whether it holds information falling within the scope of the request following those searches as required by section 1(1) of FOIA; and If information is held, either disclose the information, or issue a refusal notice as required by section 17 of FOIA, explaining why any exemption applies.