Mr Paul Thornton
PAUL JOHNSON
WHAT DO THEY KNOW?
DIRECTOR OF RESOURCES &
DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Resources Directorate
Corporate Performance, Policy and Information
Council House
Manor Square,
Solihull West Midlands B91 3QB
Minicom: 0121-704-8058
Tel: 0121 704 6241
www.solihull.gov.uk
Our Ref: 1425296
Please ask for: Carol Donovan
Date: 4 May 2016
Dear Mr Thornton
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR)
Further to your request, which has been handled under the above
legislation, please see our response below. You asked to be supplied with
any information Solihull Council holds about a proposed road linking A46
Stoneleigh junction with Kirby Corner.
We can confirm that the Council holds very little information about this
matter. We have only been able to identify two documents, which were
supplied to us by Coventry City Council. However, we are unable to
disclose these because they are unfinished pieces of work and are relying
upon Regulation 12 (4)(d) EIR in doing so. This regulation provides an
exception from the duty to disclose, where the information is material in
the course of completion, unfinished documents and incomplete data.
The proposal is in the very early stages of development and Coventry City
Council explained they have not benefited from the level of scheme
development and appraisal, which it would reasonably require to
undertake before publication. Officers need thinking space to explore
various options, to debate, to have free and frank discussions and to verify
the accuracy of information, when formulating proposals such as this
(often referred to as a “safe space”). Disclosing information that is
incomplete is not in the public interest, as it may blight properties and
misinform individuals for example.
As this is not a Solihull scheme, it is unclear whether we will be provided
with further information in the future. However, we can confirm that
Coventry City Council anticipate making available further information on
the proposals by December 2016, after which a consultation exercise will
be undertaken.
Therefore, this response acts as a refusal notice under Regulation 14 EIR.
We trust this information is of assistance. However, if you wish to request a
review of our decision or make a complaint about how your request has
been handled, you should write to the following address or reply to the
email to which this letter is attached:
Corporate Information Governance Manager
Resources Directorate
Corporate Performance, Policy and Information
Council House, Manor Square
Solihull, West Midlands
B91 3QB
Your request for an internal review should be submitted to us within 40
days of receipt by you of this response. Any requests received after this
time will be considered at the discretion of the Corporate Information
Governance Manager.
If having exhausted the review process you are not content that your
request or review has been dealt with correctly, you have a further right of
appeal to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for a decision.
Generally, the ICO will not make a decision until you have exhausted the
complaints procedure provided by the council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner's Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone:
0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate). Website:
www.ico.gov.uk.
We will now close your request as of this date.
Yours sincerely,
Carol Donovan
Corporate Information Governance Officer
Corporate Performance, Policy and Information