What exactly happened with the Lambeth Council?
Under the terms of the government’s Freedom of Information act any individual is allowed to request information from government run services such as councils, Parliament and other areas of public services in the UK. Using the Freedom of Information act, Lambeth Living, the association which manages the Lambeth borough councils housing stock, has been forced to issue a list of 800 properties under the council’s control which remain empty. While the council sought a legal challenge against the ruling that the information had to be provided, the Information Tribunal clarified the situation and confirmed that the council had a legal obligation to provide the address of empty properties which are not owned by any individuals. Officials at Lambeth Council suggest that a precedent had already been created with a similar request to Bexley Council which resulted in a list of empty properties being brought into the public domain.
