Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We can confirm that Essex County Fire & Rescue Service does hold the information you have requested.
Questions and final response:
Question 1 – "I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act for all transactions over £500 for the period April 2024 to July 2024.
Please provide the data in a machine-readable format (preferably csv).
As a minimum, please make sure to include the date, value and recipient of each transaction.
Please also provide details on the procurement category/description of each transaction if you have it.
Part of the information requested can be found on our Transparency site :
Spend April 2024 (essex-fire.gov.uk), subsequent months can be found on the drop down box.
This data is regularly updated, the information for July will be uploaded in the coming weeks.
We apply exemption Section 22 - Information intended for future publication
Our Transparency website is regularly updated to ensure transparency and accountability.
Prior to publication, all data that is due for publication undergoes pre-publication procedures.
There will inevitably, be a delay in the completion of transactions and the publication of these transactions on our Transparency site.
Section 22 is a qualified class-based exemption and consideration must be given as to whether there is a public interest in providing the information prior to the anticipated publication.
We are not obliged, under section 22 of the FOIA, to provide information that is intended for future publication.
Section 22 is a qualified exemption, this means that, even if the requested information falls within it, then I must go on to consider whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption is greater than the public interest in disclosing the information at the present time.
Essex County Fire & Rescue Service (ECFRS) recognise there is a strong public interest to demonstrate openness, transparency and accountability with regards to the Freedom of Information legislation particularly in relation to an individual’s right to know
Factors in favour of disclosure
The efficiency and effectiveness of the Authority Transparency when spending public money
In favour of non-disclosure
To ensure all checks to published information are performed.
Consistency with our Publication Scheme.
Public Interest Balancing Test
As the information is of wider interest to the public, the decision has been made to make the information accessible simultaneously to the public rather than a piecemeal disclosure to a small number of individuals under the FOIA.
Therefore, it is in the wider interest that information is accessible to the public by adhering to our publication scheme
This is our refusal notice in respect of your request.
We hope you find this information useful.
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Incident and other data is published on our transparency site. Incident Data (essexfire.gov.uk).
Please note that the response and data released to you as part of this request will be published on our website http://transparency.essex-fire.gov.uk/.
All requests will be anonymised and no personal information including contact details will be disclosed as part of this process.
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Thank you for your interest in Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, we hope this satisfies your request.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to apply for an internal review.
Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of your original email and should be sent to informationgovernance@essex-fire.gov.uk or sent to our postal address: Internal Review, Information Governance Team, Kelvedon Park, Rivenhall, Witham, Essex CM8 3HB.
Please ensure you quote the above reference number in all future communications