Thomas Mark Roberts v The Information Commissioner

Thomas Mark Roberts v The Information Commissioner

The requests, though initially of value, had by the time of the FOI requests lost serious purpose and imposed a disproportionate burden on the small public authority, especially given that the issues had already been addressed by auditors and Audit Wales. The cumulative effect of persistent, repetitive requests and...

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Parties
Appellant: Thomas Mark Roberts; Respondent: The Information Commissioner
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
01 August 2026
Procedural Posture
Appeal / Final Judgment
Outcome
Appeal dismissed
Legal Topics
Freedom of Information, Vexatious Requests, Public Authority Accountability
Administrative Law Information Law Freedom of Information Vexatious Requests Public Authority Accountability

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Parties

Thomas Mark Roberts

Appellant

The Information Commissioner

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Appeal / Final Judgment

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the public authority was entitled to rely on section 14(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to refuse the appellant's requests as vexatious

Ratio Decidendi

The requests, though initially of value, had by the time of the FOI requests lost serious purpose and imposed a disproportionate burden on the small public authority, especially given that the issues had already been addressed by auditors and Audit Wales. The cumulative effect of persistent, repetitive requests and prior dealings justified the authority's reliance on section 14(1) FOIA to refuse them as vexatious.

Court Disposition

Appeal dismissed

Orders

  • The appeal is dismissed.
  • The decision notice IC-310420-Y4P0 is upheld.