Environmental campaigner Ben Webster has launched a judicial review challenge over the perceived failure of authorities to share details of plans to heat homes in the coming months.
A working journalist, Webster’s claim centres on requests made to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in 2023. Reports were requested on the future of cost and availability of hydrogen solutions for domestic heating.
However, the Department refused to release the information, despite the fact it was available. At the time, representatives argued the documents formed part of a wider decision-making process which was still underway.
Alongside the Information Commissioner’s Office, the claiming took the case to the Information Tribunal, but before the hearing DESNZ finally released three reports. A fourth has yet to be shared, and a First Tier Tribunal ruling ordering this to happen is being contested.
Acting on behalf of Webster, lawyers at Leigh Day say the judicial review claim makes a case that the reports contain reliance and important environmental policy information and should have been published proactively. This is stipulated in regulation 4 of the Environmental Information Regulations.
‘[The challenge will] force the government to adopt an active publication policy on vital environmental issues,’ said Webster. ‘If government departments published more information proactively, they would need to spend less time, and money, responding to freedom of information requests.’
‘Upon receiving and reviewing the reports, Mr Webster felt it was apparent that the information should have been published proactively under duties laid out in the Environmental Information Regulations,’ added Julia Eriksen, a solicitor at Leigh Day.
Image: Sandy Millar / Unsplash
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