ICO issues enforcement notice to London Borough of Lewisham

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published on 21 March, an enforcement notice that has been issued to the London Borough of Lewisham relating to its statutory duties under the Freedom of Information Act. The ICO has identified the following failings concerning the Borough’s performance: a total of 338 overdue freedom of information requests as of the end of 2022, with the oldest unanswered request dating back to December 2020; and the failure to provide sufficient mitigation for its performance in its response to the ICO’s inquiries. The ICO has requested that the Borough provide responses to the freedom of information requests that are over 20 working days old and develop an action plan to address the delays.