Ensuring accountability...
The disability charity ECAS requested information on the City of Edinburgh Council's decision to reduce funding to the Edinburgh Disability Equality Forum. In making the request, ECAS was interested in whether the Council had shown due regard to disability equality in making its funding decisions.
While the Commissioner found that the Council had acted appropriately in withholding a small amount of information – on the basis that release would harm the effective conduct of the Council's affairs – he found that the overwhelming majority of the withheld information should be released. The ruling required the Council to release a range of information relating to its decision, including meeting notes, a briefing to councillors, internal email correspondence and a report prepared for the Council's budget group.
