FOI disclosure log

Message from Hackney Council

07 May 2020

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Dear  ***** *****

 

Re: Freedom of Information Request.

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, received 22 April 2020. Your request has been considered and our response is in bold below.

 

You requested the following: 

I am making a request under the Freedom of Information Act (the Act) for all agreements entered into since 28 December 2017 between the Authority and a Code Systems Operator as defined in s106 to the Communications Act 2003 including but not limited to, EE Limited, H3G, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited (CTIL), Vodafone, Arqiva and O2. I would also request details of the valuation method used to agree the rental values under these agreements. I would ask that the information be provided in an electronic format if at all possible. The background of my request stems from the demands being made by Code system operators since the enactment of the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA). At the time of enactment, DCMS confirmed that the DEA would cut the costs for new infrastructure. Despite the government’s own research prior to the passing of the DEA suggesting cuts to rent on existing agreements in the region of 40%, since the DEA has come into force the operators have demanded reductions of 90% or more in the passing rent. I believe that it is in the public interest to learn what public bodies have been agreeing with the operators since the passing of the DEA.

 

The Council’s Response

The information you requested is exempt under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The exemption states that "Information which is reasonably accessible to the applicant (even if it is accessible only on payment) is exempt". This is an absolute exemption.

 

Information relating to Hackney Council"s contracts/agreements is accessible on our website via this link  https://hackney.gov.uk/tenders. We suggest you scroll down the page to our corporate register and click on the link provided. You can then enter key word(s)to enable you to obtain the information requested.

 

Appeals & Complaints Procedure

If you are dissatisfied with this response and wish to appeal, please reply to this email or write to the Information Management Team and this will be dealt with through our Internal Review procedure.

Information Management Team

London Borough of Hackney

Hackney Service Centre

1 Hillman Street

London E8 1DY

 

Your request should be submitted to us within 40 working days of receipt by you of this response. Any request received after this time will only be considered at the discretion of the Council.

 

If you are still not satisfied following the Internal Review, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner"s:

https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/

Information Commissioner"s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

0303 123 1113

Yours sincerely

 

Information Management Team

ICT Services
London Borough of Hackney