FOI request (FOIR-730025329)

Water and wastewater

Requested Wed 09 July 2025
Responded Thu 31 July 2025

We formally request, under the EIR 2004 regulations, data you hold relating to the water and wastewater usage and costs within your controlled portfolio/expenditure.

Given the Government's focus on water control, reduction, and competition, there is a valid public interest in local taxpayers knowing what the UK’s public sector, across both local and central Government, comprises.

For the most recent yearly data to hand:

1. Your total billed water/sewerage usage?

2. Your total billed water/sewerage cost?

3. Name of your water provider?

4. Are you on a standard water tariff or negotiated/contracted rate (that is, via a framework/direct)?

5. Have you switched water supplier?

6. Have you ever commissioned or undertaken a water and wastewater audit, with a view to reducing your water and wastewater costs?

7. Is funding prohibiting you from implementing a water and wastewater cost reduction project?

8. Have you ever carried out a water consumption benchmark exercise to all of your buildings? If so what is the water consumption per person per year?

9. Do you have a future water strategy? if so, please supply details.

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Response

The Freedom of Information Act is based on recorded information held by a local authority, it is not a tool to ask questions.

1. Information not held. The data has not been collected yet for the last financial year. It will be collated and published in December.

2. £134,425.61

3. Refused.

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information you have requested regarding our water provider is commercially sensitive and falls 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.

4. Standard

5. Information not held. This is not a request for recorded information.

6. Information not held. This is not a request for recorded information.

7. Information not held. This is not a request for recorded information.

8. Information not held. This is not a request for recorded information.

9. Information not held. This is not a request for recorded information.