FOI request (FOIR-690908109)

Digital Transformation and Licensing

Requested Wed 26 February 2025
Responded Fri 28 February 2025

I am wishing to contact the council, but I have been unable to find the correct individual(s) to address my email to. Therefore, I am left with no choice other than to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please can you provide me with the following information with regards to Digital Transformation and Licensing:

1. The Head/Manager of Digital Transformation, or IT Business Applications, or IT Business Manager, their contact details including telephone number and email address.

2. Details of your current licensing platform including expiry date, contract cost and duration of the contract. The examples of the licensing that I am referring to are premise, HMO, taxi, alcohol, TENs, and so on. So the licensing platform is the software you use to manage customers applications, unless of course you use Word, PDF, or Gov.UK forms.

3. who is responsible for the contract and their contact details including telephone number and email address.

Response

1. Mark Bourne - 01424 451066 - headofit@hastings.gov.uk

2. Contract details:

Expiry Date - 18/03/2029

Duration - 5 years

Costs - Refused, please see below

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information you have requested in respect of costs 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.

3. Mark Bourne - 01424 451066 - headofit@hastings.gov.uk