The Standards Committee of Ealing Council met on Wednesday 24 June 2026 to discuss freedom of information (FOI) performance and the annual review of standards complaints. The committee received an overview of the council's freedom of information (FOI) performance for 2025. Lorraine Cox, Head of Information Governance, presented a report indicating an increase in the number of FOI requests received, rising by 8.4% to 2,083 compared to the previous year. However, the council's compliance rate in responding to these requests within the statutory 20 working days decreased to 77.0%, down from 86.0% in 2024.

Councillor Jon Ball questioned the reasons behind this decline, inquiring whether it was due to increased demand or complexity. Ms. Cox explained that both factors were at play, with requests becoming more complex, partly due to the increasing use of AI in their formulation. She also noted a rise in cross-directorate requests, which naturally take longer to process.

To address the challenges, the council has implemented several remedial measures. These include weekly emails to directors highlighting upcoming FOI deadlines for their directorates, monthly reporting of FOI performance to the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT), and quarterly updates to the portfolio holder. A new online FOI portal was launched in December 2024, aiming to reduce the number of new requests by allowing the public to access previously disclosed information. The portal had received 2,607 visits in 2025.

Despite these efforts, the report highlighted that the Housing & Environment directorate received the highest number of requests (835), with a compliance rate of 71%. This directorate also accounted for the majority of internal reviews (35) and ICO complaints (17), with most ICO complaints relating to timeliness.

The committee discussed the potential for using AI internally to help process FOI requests more efficiently, with Ms. Cox acknowledging its potential for speeding up information retrieval but stressing the continued need for human oversight. Councillor Rima Baaklini raised concerns about the hidden costs of staff time spent on FOI requests, particularly if senior officers are involved. It was clarified that while there is no dedicated FOI staff within directorates, requests are generally handled by officers lower down the hierarchy, not necessarily at the head of service level.

The committee also noted that while the council aims to be more transparent by publishing more information online, the nature of FOI legislation means requests are applicant-blind, making it difficult to track the origin of requests or compare performance against other councils.

Freedom of Information Performance

James Ellis, Director of Legal and Democratic Services, presented the Annual Review of Standards Complaints, covering the period from 1 March 2025 to 31 March 2026. During this 14-month period, the Monitoring Officer received 20 formal complaints about elected members.

Of these 20 complaints, none were referred for formal investigation. One complaint was withdrawn, 13 failed the initial jurisdictional test (step 1), five failed step 2 as they did not comply with specific criteria, and one was resolved informally. Mr. Ellis confirmed that at the time of the report, there were no live complaints.

Councillor Jon Ball inquired about complaints related to councillors not responding to communications, noting that while this might be frustrating for residents, it is not always a breach of the code of conduct. Mr. Ellis explained that such matters are typically handled by party whips and do not usually warrant the attention of legal officers unless they escalate to a standards issue.

The committee also discussed the potential for tit-for-tat or politically motivated complaints, particularly in the lead-up to elections. Mr. Ellis confirmed that guidance exists to prevent such complaints from being progressed, as councillors are expected to have a thicker skin due to their voluntary entry into the political arena.

The report also touched upon anticipated changes to the standards regime, including the government's commitment to wholesale reform, which may introduce a mandatory code of conduct, statutory standards committees, and stronger sanctions.

Annual Review of Standards Complaints

The committee noted the overview of freedom of information performance 2025 report. The committee noted the update in relation to complaints managed within the last 14 months.