Request ID: FOI-1452-2324 Date published: 24 August 2023
You asked
Dear FOI team,
I understand that items lost on the Underground are recorded in order to return to the original owner.
I would like to request the following information:
1) The total cost of running the Lost Property office from the years 2019 to present.
2) The types of items lost on each train or train station and broken down by years form 2019 to the present.
I am requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act (2000). Feel free to contact me for clarification or to discuss the information requested. Thank you.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1452-2324 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 3rd August 2023 asking for information about our Lost Property Office. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. Specifically you asked: “1) The total cost of running the Lost Property office from the years 2019 to present. 2) The types of items lost on each train or train station and broken down by years form 2019 to the present.” I can confirm that we hold the information you require. In answer to your first question, the cost of running the Lost Property Office is shown in the table below. Costs are shown in £m:
Lost Property Office costs:
£m
18/19
19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
Net cost
1.6
1.5
1
0.7
1.1
In answer to your second question, please see the first pdf document attached. Note that this data is published on the Lost Property pages of our website here: https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/lost-property#on-this-page-6 (see the section on transparency data). Data for 2022/23 will be published later in the summer / in early autumn, in line with our usual processes and timescales. That data is therefore exempt from disclosure at the present time under section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act, which applies where information is ‘intended for future publication’. Section 22 is a ‘qualified’ exemption, meaning we have to assess whether the public interest in applying the exemption outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure. We appreciate the need for openness and transparency in the running of our business, and the fact that you have requested the information is in itself an argument in favour of immediate release. However, in this instance we consider that the public interest favours the publication of this information in context and according to the pre-determined schedule. This is particularly the case given the planned publication is only a matter of weeks away. If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed. Yours sincerely, David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
