All posts tagged: Freedom of Information

Judges body hits journalist with £14k costs bill for pursuing FOI request

Judges body hits journalist with £14k costs bill for pursuing FOI request

Published by Sam Flores

Barnie Choudhury Former BBC journalist and British Journalism Award nominee Barnie Choudhury has been hit with charges of £14,270.70 by the appointments body for judges following a dispute over FOI requests. The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), an independent body responsible for selecting candidates for judicial office in England and Wales, said Choudhury “acted unreasonably” in pursuing enforcement action after it failed to comply with a tribunal order to disclose information requested in an FOI. Since 2020, Choudhury has written 23 investigative articles for Eastern Eye in his campaign against judicial secrecy, alleging bullying, misogyny and misconduct in the judicial appointments process. After threatening the JAC with Contempt of Court, Choudhury’s reporting successfully led to the JAC disclosing confidential recruitment materials and exposed the body for its unlawful use of FOI exemptions. His long-running campaign against the JAC led to stories on topics including calls for a senior official for JAC, accused of misleading a court, to be questioned again and claims of bullying within the judiciary. Choudhury was shortlisted for the Public Service Journalism award …

Ex-Times environment editor launches legal campaign against Govt

Ex-Times environment editor launches legal campaign against Govt

Published by Sam Flores

Ben Webster’s crowdfunding campaign page on 13 April 2026. A former environment editor of The Times has launched a legal claim against the Government for withholding documents that he claims should be publicly accessible. Ben Webster has alleged that the Government is not carrying out its duty to proactively publish environmental information as stipulated by Regulation 4 of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). Webster, now working as a freelance, spent two years trying to access reports that he claims should have been published proactively. He first requested the reports, which relate to the subject of future availability and cost of hydrogen for heating homes, from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in August 2023. Webster said he required the reports as part of an investigation into the viability of hydrogen to heat homes and whether this is a false solution being promoted by the gas industry. The DESNZ initially refused to release all four reports, claiming they were part of an ongoing decision-making process, but has now released three of them. The …

Publishers warn reduced FOI cost limit would put public-interest information ‘beyond scrutiny’

Publishers warn reduced FOI cost limit would put public-interest information ‘beyond scrutiny’

Published by Sam Flores

Picture: Shutterstock UK news publishers have warned the Government against “extremely concerning” proposals to reduce the cost ceiling for processing Freedom of Information requests. The News Media Association (NMA), which represents the UK’s national and regional news businesses, has requested “clarity” from the Government on its intentions following Financial Times reporting that restrictions on FOI requests are being considered. The FT cited a steep rise in the number of annual FOI submissions (up 18% year on year to more than 83,000 in 2024) and constrained Government budgets as reasons for the move being considered. Currently central government can reject FOI requests on cost grounds if it is deemed a response will cost more than £600 to gather. The limit for other public authorities is set at £450. Staff time is charged at £25 an hour. In a letter to the Government, NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said reducing the cost threshold would expand the discretion of public authorities to refuse requests in a “highly concerning way”. “It is not routine or trivial requests that would …