Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council has not provided information he has requested from it about its decision to implement street closures in his area. This is because this is best dealt with by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The complaint

1. Mr X has asked the Council to provide evidence to show the ambulance service agreed to road closures in his area, implemented by the Council. Mr X also complains the Council has failed to respond to his complaints about this. Mr X is concerned about access to his property in an emergency.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Information Commissioner's Office considers complaints about freedom of information. Its decision notices may be appealed to the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights). So where we receive complaints about freedom of information, we normally consider it reasonable to expect the person to refer the matter to the Information Commissioner.

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent expert on information rights. It is best placed to consider whether the Council should provide the information Mr X has requested from it. For this reason, we will not investigate.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is best dealt with by the ICO.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman