The i360 business case

The council has published information which explains the wider business case for the Brighton i360 here. They explain they are not publishing details of a commercially confidential nature because, as a major new enterprise the Brighton i360 is still in the process of negotiating with prospective suppliers and sponsors. They are concerned that publishing background pricing assumptions for new contractual relationships can prevent a fair negotiation of the most beneficial terms.

The council is currently appealing a decision of the Information Commissioner that this information be placed in the public domain. They are presumably hoping that by the time the appeal is decided the new contracts will have been decided.

The background to this is that Brighton journalist John Keenan has, for some time, been using the Freedom of Information Act chasing the Council to release all the details of the i360 business case. In his Spectator's City Metric Blog he says:

 “Following my appeal, the Information Commissioner’s Office decided that it had not been shown how disclosure of the information would prejudice the operator’s or the council’s commercial interests.

The commissioner also noted that it has not been shown that there would be an actionable claim for breach of confidence. It ordered the council to release the full report.

Now, however, the council has decided it will not accept the ICO ruling. It will instead appeal to the first-tier tribunal, spending thousands of pounds of council taxpayers’ money in the process."

Watch this space.