Complete Non-Residential / Business Property Rates Data (Section 31)

The request was partially successful.

Dear Islington Borough Council,

In terms of the Freedom of Information Act of 2000, and subject to section 40(2) on excluding personal data, could you please provide me with a complete and up-to-date list of all business (non-residential) property rates data for your local authority, and including the following fields:

- Billing Authority Reference Code (linking the property to the VOA database reference)
- Firm's Trading Name (i.e. property occupant)
- Full Property Address (Number, Street, Postal Code, Town)
- Occupied / Vacant
- Date of Occupation / Vacancy
- Actual annual rates charged (in Pounds)

If you are unable to provide an absolute “Occupation / Vacancy” status, please provide the Exemptions and / or Reliefs that a particular property may be receiving.

We recognise that you ordinarily refuse to release these data in terms of Regulation 31(1)(a). In November 2016, we appealed this class of refusal - specifically as it relates to this request - to the Information Commissioner’s Office and they issued a Decision Notice (FS50628943 - https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak..., and FS50628978 - https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...) on 28 February 2017 finding that “it is not correct to withhold this information under Regulation 31(1)(a)”, and that “the public interest in the information being disclosed outweighs that in the exemption being maintained”.

Note that these Decision Notices supersede Voyias v Information Commissioner and London Borough of Camden Council (EA/2011/0007) and Decision Notice FS50538789 (related to Stoke on Trent Council).

Please provide this as machine-readable as either a CSV or Microsoft Excel file, capable of re-use, and under terms of the Open Government Licence.

I'm sure you get many requests for business rates and we intend to update this national series every three months. Could we request that - as more than 30% of local authorities already do - you update and release this dataset via a dedicated page on your local authority website or on an open data service. You should find that this reduces the time and cost of this request process.

Yours faithfully,

Gavin Chait

FOIA, Islington Borough Council

Dear Mr Chait,

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act request, received on
30/03/2017.  Your request has been processed, and your unique reference
number is FOI 492692.  Please make note of this reference number should
you need to contact us about your request.

 

Our team will send your request to the appropriate service area within
Islington Council, and an officer from that team will respond directly to
your request.

 

If you have any questions, please contact us by email at
[Islington Borough Council request email]

 

Kind regards,

 

Information Governance Team

Digital Services

Finance and Resources

Islington Council

Room G17, Town Hall, Upper Street, London N1 2UD

Email: [Islington Borough Council request email]

Web: www.islington.gov.uk

 

 

From: Gavin Chait [mailto:[FOI #398177 email]]
Sent: 30 March 2017 04:06
To: FOIA
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Complete Non-Residential /
Business Property Rates Data (Section 31)

 

Dear Islington Borough Council,

In terms of the Freedom of Information Act of 2000, and subject to section
40(2) on excluding personal data, could you please provide me with a
complete and up-to-date list of all business (non-residential) property
rates data for your local authority, and including the following fields:

- Billing Authority Reference Code (linking the property to the VOA
database reference)
- Firm's Trading Name (i.e. property occupant)
- Full Property Address (Number, Street, Postal Code, Town)
- Occupied / Vacant
- Date of Occupation / Vacancy
- Actual annual rates charged (in Pounds)

If you are unable to provide an absolute “Occupation / Vacancy” status,
please provide the Exemptions and / or Reliefs that a particular property
may be receiving.

We recognise that you ordinarily refuse to release these data in terms of
Regulation 31(1)(a). In November 2016, we appealed this class of refusal -
specifically as it relates to this request - to the Information
Commissioner’s Office and they issued a Decision Notice (FS50628943 -
[1]https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...,
and FS50628978 -
[2]https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...)
on 28 February 2017 finding that “it is not correct to withhold this
information under Regulation 31(1)(a)”, and that “the public interest in
the information being disclosed outweighs that in the exemption being
maintained”.

Note that these Decision Notices supersede Voyias v Information
Commissioner and London Borough of Camden Council (EA/2011/0007) and
Decision Notice FS50538789 (related to Stoke on Trent Council).

Please provide this as machine-readable as either a CSV or Microsoft Excel
file, capable of re-use, and under terms of the Open Government Licence.

I'm sure you get many requests for business rates and we intend to update
this national series every three months. Could we request that - as more
than 30% of local authorities already do - you update and release this
dataset via a dedicated page on your local authority website or on an open
data service. You should find that this reduces the time and cost of this
request process.

Yours faithfully,

Gavin Chait

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show quoted sections

Kelly, Billie, Islington Borough Council

Hello,

 

You recently sent through the below freedom of information request:

 

In terms of the Freedom of Information Act of 2000, and subject to section
40(2) on excluding personal data, could you please provide me with a
complete and up-to-date list of all business (non-residential) property
rates data for your local authority, and including the following fields:

- Billing Authority Reference Code (linking the property to the VOA
database reference)
- Firm's Trading Name (i.e. property occupant)
- Full Property Address (Number, Street, Postal Code, Town)
- Occupied / Vacant
- Date of Occupation / Vacancy
- Actual annual rates charged (in Pounds)

If you are unable to provide an absolute “Occupation / Vacancy” status,
please provide the Exemptions and / or Reliefs that a particular property
may be receiving.

We recognise that you ordinarily refuse to release these data in terms of
Regulation 31(1)(a). In November 2016, we appealed this class of refusal -
specifically as it relates to this request - to the Information
Commissioner’s Office and they issued a Decision Notice (FS50628943 -
[1]https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...,
and FS50628978 -
[2]https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...)
on 28 February 2017 finding that “it is not correct to withhold this
information under Regulation 31(1)(a)”, and that “the public interest in
the information being disclosed outweighs that in the exemption being
maintained”.

Note that these Decision Notices supersede Voyias v Information
Commissioner and London Borough of Camden Council (EA/2011/0007) and
Decision Notice FS50538789 (related to Stoke on Trent Council).

Please provide this as machine-readable as either a CSV or Microsoft Excel
file, capable of re-use, and under terms of the Open Government Licence.

I'm sure you get many requests for business rates and we intend to update
this national series every three months. Could we request that - as more
than 30% of local authorities already do - you update and release this
dataset via a dedicated page on your local authority website or on an open
data service. You should find that this reduces the time and cost of this
request process.

 

Councils response:

 

The councils business rates and NNDR information is available on our
website on the following link:
[3]https://www.islington.gov.uk/about-the-c...

 

We do not currently have occupied/vacant property information on these
spreadsheets but we are in the process of getting this added.

 

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact me.

 

If you are not satisfied with the way in which your request has been
handled or the outcome, you may request an internal review within two
calendar months of the date of this response by contacting: Information
Complaints, Information Governance Team, Resources, 4th Floor, 7 Newington
Barrow Way, Islington, N7 7EP.  Email: [4][email address]
 

 

Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner's
Office, at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. 
Telephone: 01625 545 700.  Web: [5]www.ico.org.uk

 

Kind Regards,

 

Billie Kelly

Information Governance Officer

 

Resources Department

London Borough of Islington

 

 

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