FOI request (FOIR-613420369)

Home advertising

Requested Fri 10 May 2024
Responded Tue 11 June 2024

Does the council have a contract with an external party for out of home advertising? For example, on bus shelters and street furniture.

If the answer is yes, please can you share the following details:

1. Who is the contract with?

2. What is the length of the contract and when was it last renewed?

3. Is this for a fixed fee, a share of profit/revenue, or a combination?

a. If there is a fixed fee element, what is the monetary value of the fixed fee the council receives (as an annual figure or one off fee for length of contract)?

b. If there is a share of profit or revenue arrangement, what is the proportion/percentage share of revenue/profit arrangement?

4. If there is a share of profit or revenue arrangement, please can you share how much the council received each financial year from 2019 to the most current year available?

Note: If you are unable to share the exact monetary values due to business confidentially, then please provide the year-on-year percentage change in the amount received each year. If you are unable to share the exact percentage change received, then for each year from 2019 please indicate within which band the change in income would sit:

· decreased more than 25%,

· decreased between 11 to 25%,

· decreased between 6 to 10%,

· decreased up to 5%,

· no change (0%),

· increased up to 5%,

· increased between 6 to 10%,

· increased between 11 to 25%,

· increased more than 25%.

Response

1. Refused - please see below.

2. The length of the contract is 5 years, and it was last renewed on 2nd April 2020.

3. Refused - please see below.

4. Refused - please see below.

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

Parts of the information you have requested are commercially sensitive and fall under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act - Commercially Sensitive Information - Information prejudicing commercial interests - commercial interest relating to an organisations commercial activity and may include trading activity procurement and relationships with third parties.

The exemption afforded by Section 43 is subject to what is known as the 'public interest test'. When applying the test in a particular case a public authority is deciding whether the public interest is better served by non-disclosure than by disclosure.

Although the Freedom of Information Act does not define 'in the public interest', there is a presumption under Freedom of Information that openness is in the public interest. In applying the public interest test a public authority will take into account the distinction that has been often made by courts between things that are in the public interest, and things that merely interest the public. Where applicants have not identified public interest considerations succinctly or accurately, the public authority has a responsibility under the Act to make their own assessment of the public interest considerations in the particular case.

We have identified the following public interest factors that may be seen as encouraging the disclosure of information:

a) accountability of public spending.

We consider these factors to be of limited relevance in relation to the information in question.

Public interest factors seen as encouraging non-disclosure are, generally, the exemptions themselves. In consideration of this matter we came to the following conclusions:

a) ensuring that companies are able to compete for business fairly.

b) damage to reputation and/or financial interests.

In weighing the factors for and against disclosure we have concluded that the likely benefit to the applicant and the wider public of disclosure is outweighed by the likely prejudice caused by such disclosure and that therefore the public interest is better served by non-disclosure.

For the reasons given above we will not be communicating to you the information you have requested.