Norfolk County Council reprimanded for dragging its feet over access requests

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has reprimanded Norfolk County Council for failing to respond to the public when asked for personal information held about them.

Both Norfolk County Council and Plymouth City Council repeatedly failed to meet the legal deadline of one to three months for responding.

The ICO has issued a reprimand to both councils, instructing them to take steps to ensure that the public receive their personal information within the statutory period.

The ICO found that Norfolk County Council had only responded to 51 per cent of SARs on time between April 2021 and April 2022, meaning that 251 people did not receive a response within the legal timeframe.

Stephen Eckersley, director of investigations at the ICO, said: “Asking an organisation for the personal information they hold is a fundamental information right, helping people to understand how and why their data is being used.

“Delays to this process can cause anxiety or distress and have significant impact on people’s lives if they cannot receive copies of their data on time.

“With these backlogs of requests, both councils are undermining public confidence by failing to be transparent and accountable.

“They are also denying residents access to their other information rights, such as asking for the information to be changed or deleted.

“Other organisations should take note that we will act if they fail to meet their legal obligations when responding to requests.”

While both councils invested in staff to tackle the requests, the ICO has asked the two authorities to provide details of actions taken within six months of the reprimand being issued.