GREAT Budworth Parish Council have been rapped by the Information Commissioner’s Office over breaches of the Freedom of Information Act.

The ICO issued the notice after Great Budworth resident Fred Owen, 78, made a complaint following several Freedom of Information requests in 2017.

The ICO has a general duty to investigate complaints from members of the public who believe that an authority has failed to respond correctly to a request for information.

If the complaint is not resolved informally, the ICO will issue a decision notice.

Mr Owen submitted three Freedom of Information requests to Great Budworth Parish Council in 2017 requesting information regarding finials that were erected in the village.

One of the requests, which was sent on June 12, was partly responded to on August 30, more than three times the 20-working day response time limit.

Mr Owen originally contacted the ICO on May 31, 2017, to complain about the way his requests for information had been handled.

On December 18, the ICO issued a decision notice to the council, saying it breached section 10 (1) of the FOIA in respect to the three Freedom of Information requests.

The ICO said that the public authority ‘must comply with Section 10 (1) of the FOIA promptly and in any event not later than the 20th working day following the date of receipt’.

It said: “In this case the Commissioner has identified that the council disclosed information (in respect of all three requests), outside the time for compliance provided by section 10.”

The decision notice comes around six weeks after the BDO, an accountancy and business advisory firm, discovered issues with the council’s annual returns, in relation to the finials.

The BDO report, which was posted to Great Budworth Parish Council’s website, said issues in the annual return had resulted in it being ‘qualified’ – which indicates either a breach of proper practices or legislation.

The report said: “No quotations or estimates were sought for their purchase of the finials.

"The company selected was decided by an elector of the area, who contributed towards the finials, and not the smaller authority.”

The final cost to the council was £3,771.

The report said the breach meant the council was required to take ‘immediate action’.

The report said: “The smaller authority must take control of any projects they are paying for and not rely upon others to decide.

"In accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992 a budget must be set for any potential costs likely to be incurred.”

Great Budworth Parish Council declined to comment.