Freedom of Information (FOI)

The Freedom of Information Act 2000, also sometimes referred to as FOI, covers all non-personal information held by the council. This is irrespective of the format it is held in so includes agendas, minutes, maps, and photographs.

What are my rights?

The Act provides you with 2 statutory rights:

• to be told whether the council holds the information requested
• to be provided with that information, subject to certain conditions.

Can I make a request for information now?

Yes, the regulations came into force on the 1 January 2005 so you can make a request. Check out our Publication Scheme before making a request to see if we have already made the information available.

What is a Publication Scheme?

You will find a lot of information about what we do and the services we provide on our website. In addition key documents have been put together to form a catalogue or Publication Scheme. The classes of information used are general so that you do not need to know the council's organisational structure to be able to find the information you require.

Where do I obtain a copy of the Publication Scheme?

Our Publication Scheme is available to view online:

• link: Publication scheme

or you may request a hard copy from our offices or by contacting us.

How do I make a request for information?

You may make a request for information using online. Your request must have sufficient detail for us to be able to find the information you want, and have a return address for us to reply to.

If you cannot make your request online you can make it to us by email or by post.

How long will it take to receive the information?

We are required by law to answer all requests promptly and at most within 20 working days. If this cannot be achieved for any reason we will contact you and provide you with a completion date.

How much will my request for information cost?

Most information requests will be free. If your request is estimated to cost us (to find and collate) less than £450 (18 hours of staff time at £25 per hour) no charge will be made.

If the estimate exceeds this figure we will contact you and assist you to refine the request or we may consider accepting the payment in full.

The Act does not entitle you to free copies of priced Government publications, or to free use of services for which there is normally a charge.

Depending on the volume of information requested we may have to make a small charge for copying and postage as set out in the council's Charging Policy.

What do I do if I think you have not given all of the information requested?

You should first of all make a complaint via the Internal Review Procedure detailed in our Decision Notice sent to you.

If after following this procedure you are still not satisfied you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who will look into the matter on your behalf.

Contact them by post:

Office for the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF.