Our Ref:          FOI-1352-1819

Thank you for your request received on 10 August 2018 asking for information about the TfL-PHV Congestion Charge Study.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and TfL’s information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.

However, given the extent of the information you are looking for, we are applying Regulation 12(4)(b) as we believe that the request is ‘manifestly unreasonable’ because providing the information you have requested would impose unreasonable costs on us and require an unreasonable diversion of resources.

You have requested copies of recorded information including any emails or letters exchanged between both Cambridge Economic Policy Associates (CEPA), from 1 January 2018, or Mott MacDonald, from 1 March 2018, and TfL to the date of your request.

To answer your current request would take an excessive amount of staff time and resources.

We have established that the potentially relevant information which we hold comprises of hundreds of potentially relevant emails, all of which would have to be reviewed, along with any other documents that are captured by your request.

The use of this exception is subject to a public interest test, which requires us to consider whether the public interest in applying the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure. We recognise that the release of information would promote accountability and transparency in public services and also help address your particular concerns about this issue. However, the time it would take to provide the information you have requested would divert a disproportionate amount of our resources from its core functions and on balance we consider that the public interest currently favours the use of the exception.

We will consider your request again, if you are able to narrow its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. If you have specific questions we will be happy to consider those.

You have also requested any draft copies of both CEPA’s ‘TfL-PHV Congestion Charge study’ and Mott MacDonald’s integrated impact assessment.

The Integrated Impact Assessment from and CEPA report are currently on our website (www.tfl.gov.uk/ccyourviews) for consultation. In accordance with the EIR, we are not obliged to supply the information you have requested as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information, under regulation 12(4)(d) of the EIR.

We have invited comments on these and the proposals. The documents remain in draft until the decision is made by the Mayor whether to implement the proposed changes. It is possible that as a result of the consultation we will make further changes to these documents.

This exemption is subject to a public interest test, which requires us to assess whether the public interest in applying the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure. In this instance, it is considered that the public interest favours the publication of this information, in context and according to the pre-determined schedule, rather than in response to your request, to ensure the information is provided accurately and in an accessible manner.

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]