Liam Harron v The Information Commissioner & Anor

Liam Harron v The Information Commissioner & Anor

The Letters, to the extent they were FOIA requests, were vexatious due to their tone, content, scope, and the history of correspondence between the parties; however, it was not unreasonable to expect the Council to serve a further notice, so reliance on section 17(6) was incorrect.

Parties
Appellant: Liam Harron; First Respondent: The Information Commissioner; Second Respondent: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
15 April 2026
Procedural Posture
Information Rights Appeal / First Tier Tribunal Decision
Outcome
Appeal allowed in part
Legal Topics
Freedom of Information, Vexatious Requests, Public Authority Duties
Information Law Administrative Law Freedom of Information Vexatious Requests Public Authority Duties

Case Brief

Summary, issues, holding and outcome

More case intelligence is available

Unlock the full research layer for this judgment.

Full judgment text Downloadable case file Legal principles 3 Authorities cited 6 Party arguments 2
Sign in to unlock

Parties

Liam Harron

Appellant

The Information Commissioner

First Respondent

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Second Respondent

Procedural Posture

Information Rights Appeal / First Tier Tribunal Decision

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the Letters constituted FOIA requests
  2. 2 Whether the requests were vexatious under section 14 FOIA
  3. 3 Whether the Council could rely on section 17(6) FOIA to decline to respond

Ratio Decidendi

The Letters, to the extent they were FOIA requests, were vexatious due to their tone, content, scope, and the history of correspondence between the parties; however, it was not unreasonable to expect the Council to serve a further notice, so reliance on section 17(6) was incorrect.

Court Disposition

Appeal allowed in part