# FREEDOM OF INFORMATION APPEAL LETTER
Date: 6 January 2031
Parties: Ruth Morgan and Westbridge Borough Council
## 1. Purpose and parties
Ruth Morgan appeals Westbridge Borough Council's refusal of her 4 December 2030 request for the flood-risk assessment for the Riverside Quay planning scheme. The council answered on 20 December, relying on section 43(2) commercial interests and supplying only a short summary.
## 2. Facts, scope and terms
She asks the council to conduct its internal review before any complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office. The request seeks recorded information held by the council, not an explanation to be created, and the requested assessment was commissioned with public funds.
## 3. Process and responsibilities
The appeal challenges the breadth of section 43(2), asks for the precise information withheld and the public-interest balancing exercise, and proposes disclosure with redactions of genuinely confidential pricing. It also asks the council to confirm whether any material is environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004; if so, the EIR exceptions and public-interest test must be applied instead.
## 4. Evidence, records and safeguards
The monitoring officer should appoint a reviewer independent of the original decision, check searches and the retention schedule, consult the contractor only where necessary, and provide a reasoned internal-review response with complaint information. Ruth asks for a response within 20 working days or a clear revised timetable.
## 5. Review, escalation and outcome
Ruth encloses the original request, refusal, council summary and planning reference. The council should preserve the assessment, search records, correspondence and version history, and should not treat her appeal as a new request or disclose personal data of unrelated residents.
## 6. Reservations and practical protections
If the internal review upholds the refusal, Ruth may complain to the ICO after receiving the review; the ICO is not a substitute for the council's internal review. She does not seek private compensation in this letter and will narrow the request if the council identifies a proportionate burden.
## 7. England and Wales law and completion
The letter is governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, where applicable, the EIR 2004. It is sent by email to foi@westbridge.example and by post as separate permitted service methods on 6 January 2031. Ruth signs the appeal.