Information Commissioner prosecutes councillor over Freedom of Information Act offences

The Information Commissioner’s Office is prosecuting a councillor at Thanet District Council under section 77 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Two charges were made against Cllr Suzanne Brimm, who represents the Birchington South Ward, relating to section 77 offences and a third for non-notification.

Section 77 FOIA concerns the offence of altering records with intent to prevent disclosure.

The Isle of Thanet News reports that the case relates to requests for details about a dog DNA scheme introduced in 2017.

The scheme was launched last July in a bid to trap owners who failed to clear up after their pets but was later ditched.

A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

The ICO said that a trial date had been set for 3 September at Canterbury Magistrates.

CORRECTION (10th September 2018): An earlier version of this article stated that Councillor Brimm pleaded not guilty to the charges. This was incorrect as Councillor Brimm did not plead until the trial commenced on 3rd September.