Police stay quiet on property sale
Published: 9 April 2010
POLICE have refused to reveal whether they took a decision to sell off any of Islington’s police stations at a private meeting held in February.
A request by the Tribune under the Freedom of Information Act was rebuffed by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), the police scrutiny and finance body made up of London Assembly members and the public, on the grounds that it could adversely affect the money the MPA could make from the sale.
The request followed a finance and resources committee meeting held by the MPA on February 11, when it was decided which commercial and residential properties across London would be sold off.
“Providing detail of the properties being considered for disposal could impact on future commercial activity,” the officer said, adding that releasing the information could “impair the Authority’s ability to achieve best value [for the properties]”.
Despite ultimately refusing the request, while weighing up whether to release the information, she accepted that a “consideration in favour of disclosure” was “the right of the public to have access to information”.