Empty Housing
Dear Carlisle City Council,
In 2010 there was a request for a list of empty properties in the region.
This was given as a spreadsheet, obviously this will now be out of date therefore could I request that a similar list is presented. If at all possible could the list give indication as to how long a property has been empty and if it is habitable or inhabitable
Yours faithfully,
T Evans
Dear T Evans,
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Thank you for your request for information about Empty Housing which was
received on 22/07/2021.
The information you have requested is enclosed.
I can confirm that Carlisle City Council holds the information you
requested. However, we are withholding that information since we consider
that the exemption under section 31(1)(a) Freedom of Information Act 2000
applies to it. This exemption applies where disclosure of the information
would prejudice the prevention or detection of crime.
Section 31(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides that:
“ (1)Information which is not exempt information by virtue of section 30
is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be
likely to, prejudice—
(a)the prevention or detection of crime, “
The council considers that the release of this information would increase
the risk of criminal activity such as vandalism, arson and squatting in
empty properties.
While we believe the exemption in Section 31(1)(a) applies in this case,
we are still be obliged to release this information in response to your
request if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the
public interest in maintaining the exemption. Carlisle City Council
acknowledges the significant public interest in openness and transparency
and therefore recognises that any request under Section 1 of the Act is
potentially in the public interest. However, disclosure of this
information could potentially facilitate criminal activity as well as
impacting on the resources of the Council and the Cumbria Constabulary and
so consider the public interest is best served by withholding the
information.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within 40 working days of the date of the response and should be
sent to [email address]. An independent reviewing officer
unconnected with the original request will review the decision.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF, [1]www.ico.org.uk, telephone 0303 123 1113.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.
Kind regards,
Information Team
Carlisle City Council
Civic Centre
Carlisle
CA3 8QG
[2]https://www.carlisle.gov.uk/Privacy-Stat...
>
This e-mail and its attachments may include confidential information or
protectively marked material up to OFFICIAL SENSITIVE and should be
handled accordingly and, is solely for use by the intended recipient(s).
If you have received this e-mail and its attachments in error, please
notify the sender immediately, delete them and do not disclose, copy,
distribute, disclose or retain any part of them. The views and opinions
expressed by the author are not necessarily those of Carlisle City
Council. Carlisle City Council has scanned this e-mail and its attachments
to ensure that they are virus free. The Council can take no responsibility
if a virus is actually present and you are advised to make the appropriate
checks to confirm that they are virus free. Any email and contents sent or
received by the Council may need to be disclosed by the Council under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. Any personal information contained within
this email and its attachments must be processed in accordance with the
Data Protection Legislation. For further information on how Carlisle City
Council will process your personal information, please visit the Council’s
privacy statement at https://www.carlisle.gov.uk/Privacy-Stat...
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ico.org.uk/
2. https://www.carlisle.gov.uk/Privacy-Stat...
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now