Details of empty commercial properties with a rateable value between £18,000 & £20,000.

The request was refused by Stoke on Trent City Council.

Dear Stoke on Trent City Council,

Please can you provide me with the following information under the
Freedom Of Information Act 2000:-

(a) addresses and rateable values of empty Commercial properties with a current rateable value between £18,000 and £20,000 that are within Stoke on Trent City Council area; and

(b) the names and addresses of the owners of those properties referred to in (a)

Yours faithfully,

Natalie Davis

Hannah Quinn, Stoke on Trent City Council

Dear Natalie

Your request for information

Thank you for your request for information about empty property. Your request was received on 29th April 2010 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In some circumstances we may charge for information. If there is a charge I will let you know as you will have to pay it before we deal with your request.

Some information does not have to be released under the Freedom of Information Act. We will check the information you have asked for and send you as much as possible. If another person or organisation is named in the information we may have to ask their opinion before we decide what we can give you.

Please note that we are currently experiencing a high volume of requests and therefore we would ask politely that you do not contact us regarding your request unless the statutory deadline has been exceeded or you wish to modify or withdraw your request. This will enable us to process and respond to your request as quickly as possible.

If you have any queries about this email please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,
Hannah Quinn

Hannah Quinn | Freedom of Information and Data Protection Officer
Information Governance | Chief Executive's
City of Stoke-on-Trent
Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1RN
t 01782 232853
e [email address] <mailto:[email address]>

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Hannah Quinn, Stoke on Trent City Council

Dear Natalie

Your request for information on empty commercial property

We have now considered your request for information and unfortunately it
is exempt under section 31(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act and
will not be released.

Section 31(1)(a) of the Act allows us to withhold information if
disclosure of the information would be likely to prejudice the prevention
and detection of crime.

This exemption applies because once the information has been released, we
have no control over who the information will be passed to and the
information could be used to commit a crime by targeting empty properties.

It is considered that the public interest in withholding the information
is stronger than the public interest in disclosing it. This is because it
is not in the public interest to make available information that could
cause theft or vandalism.

If you have any queries about this email, please do not hesitate to
contact me.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to: Louise Kelly, Information Manager, Chief Executives
Directorate, Civic Centre Floor 4, Glebe Street, ST4 1HH or email
[1][Stoke on Trent City Council request email].

If, after contacting us, you are not content with the outcome, you may ask
the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information
Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have already used our
appeal procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely,

Hannah Quinn

Hannah Quinn | Freedom of Information and Data Protection Officer

Information Governance | Chief Executive's

City of Stoke-on-Trent

Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1RN

t 01782 232853

e [email address] <mailto:[email address]>

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