Our Ref:          FOI-1006-1819

Thank you for your request received on 11 July 2018 asking for asking for correspondence between TfL and the Garden Bridge Trust.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. We do hold
the information you require.

In accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply some of the information as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2).

In this instance the section 43(2) exemption has been applied to information contained within the documents as disclosure would be likely to prejudice our commercial interests, as well as those of Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB) and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP).

Information regarding the rates charged by BLP has also been redacted as prejudice would be likely to occur to us, CSCB and BLP when procuring similar legal services in the future, as it would reveal how much CSCB and the Trust were willing to pay for those services as well as the rates BLP charged. Our competitive edge would inevitably be prejudiced by disclosure of a detailed breakdown of the pricing.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, but in this instance ensuring that we are able to obtain the best value for public money outweighs the general public interest in increasing transparency of our processes.

Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions which would make the processing ‘fair’.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please feel free to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[email protected]

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