A requester, the Royal Forest and Bird Society, sought access to information concerning the Mangrove Management Bill, a local Bill proposed by the Thames Coromandel District Council (the Council), on which submissions had been invited by the Governance and Administration Select Committee. The Council decided to grant the request but fixed a charge of $608 for the supply of the requested information. This figure was based on an estimate that it would take eight hours to search for and collate the requested information.
The Ombudsman formed the opinion that, in the circumstances of this case, a charge for supplying this information was unreasonable. He considered that there was a compelling public interest in availability of the information requested because it would enable the public to participate more effectively by making informed submissions to the Select Committee considering the Bill. In the circumstances of this particular case, the Ombudsman considered the strength of the public interest favoured disclosure of the information requested without charge.
This case note is published under the authority of the Ombudsmen Rules 1989 opens page in this tab. It sets out an Ombudsman’s view on the facts of a particular case. It should not be taken as establishing any legal precedent that would bind an Ombudsman in future.