Ministry must reveal advice to Prescott over controversial tower

The Guardian 11 June 2007
Clare Dyer, legal editor

The Information Tribunal has ruled that civil servants' advice to ministers on major planning decisions should be disclosed to anyone who asks for it once the decision is taken.

The ruling, obtained by the former Tory environment secretary Lord Baker, was hailed yesterday by Friends of the Earth as a "significant breakthrough which means that members of the public will now have a much better understanding of why a controversial major planning decision has been made".

The Department for Communities and Local Government - which took over responsibility for planning from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister last year - has until June 29 to release the advice officials gave John Prescott when he was considering the application for the 50-storey residential Vauxhall Tower near Vauxhall Bridge overlooking the Thames in south London.

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Note: The Tribunal's decision is not yet on its website.