Key information
Request reference number: MGLA310522-2108
Date of response:
Summary of request
Your request
Please disclose all information relating to the London Mayor’s attendance at the Liverpool v Real Madrid 2022 UEFA Champions League final in Paris, including any costs, whether anything was provided free of charge and if so, by whom.
Our response
The Mayor was invited to attend the 2022 UEFA Champions League final as a guest of UEFA. London has a long-standing partnership with UEFA, securing the hosting of a number of high-profile games and tournaments to boost London’s economy including Euro 2020, the Women's Euros 2022 and the Champions League final in 2024.
In line with City Hall’s gift and hospitality regulations, this will be declared in the proper way.
The Mayor’s gifts and hospitality records are routinely published here.
Two members of staff visited Paris to meet with representatives of UEFA while they were in the city. Four tickets for the match were gifted in total – the Mayor was accompanied by his wife, and one of those members of staff attended the match, along with a guest of theirs.
You can view the details of this declaration here.
The other member of staff returned to London and did not attend the match.
All costs associated with the trip for the Mayor and his wife are not held by the GLA as these were met personally.
Information relating to the method of travel for the two members of staff will be published in future Audit Panel reports.
Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides an exemption for information that is intended to be published in the future. Information is exempt if, at the time when the public authority receives a request for it:
- the public authority holds the requested information;
- the public authority intends the information to be published at some future date, whether that date is determined or not; and
- in all the circumstances it is reasonable to withhold the information until its planned publication.
Section 22 acknowledges that public authorities must have freedom to be able to determine their own publication timetables. This allows them to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publication. It is however necessary to consider whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption (and withholding the information until the publication date), is greater than the public interest in releasing the information before this date.
In this instance, it is felt that there is a greater public interest for the GLA to keep to its original timetable of disclosure.
Publication of expenses, gifts and hospitality
The decision to proactively publish this information demonstrates the GLA’s commitment to
openness and transparency and we believe the current time table for GLA officers to prepare this information for publication is acceptable. The public interest in the release of the Mayor’s key engagements is also met by the more regular publication of the Mayor’s report.
The public interest, that is the best interests of the public, is met by the GLA being open and transparent but also by managing its resources effectively, and this includes setting reasonable publication schedules to meet this public interest. While there is an obvious public interest in the release of the Mayor’s expense, gifts and hospitality, we believe this is met by our intention to publish this information in the coming weeks.
We do not believe the public interest favours the disruption that would be caused to GLA staff by expediting this publication when its early publication would not meet any immediate or exceptional public concerns at the present time.
We therefore find the balance of public interest falls in maintaining the exemption and the GLA publishing this information in accordance with our existing publication timetable.
If you have any further questions relating to this matter, please contact us, quoting
reference MGLA310522-2108.