Freedom of Information requests

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives a statutory right of access to all information held by public authorities, subject to some exemptions. It is designed to make public bodies open, accessible and accountable.

The Act provides the public with:

• a right to know what information public authorities hold
• a right of access to that information

Make an FOI request

You can ask for information about the council and its business using a FOI request. An FOI request should be made in writing.

You can use the form below to submit a request quickly and easily:

Requests can be made to access any information held by us. This could be information held in an official report, a briefing document, emails, faxes or even notes.

Previous FOI requests

Results from previous FOI requests are published on our Disclosure Log:

Environmental Information Regulations

Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests can be made by phone or in person as well as in writing.

Public authorities have a duty to make environmental information available under the EIR, subject to some exceptions.

They are legally enforceable regulations that govern the public's right to access environmental information held in the public domain. Information covered by the regulations includes the state of the air, atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape, as well as factors affecting the above elements such as substances, energy, noise, radiation or waste, emissions, discharges into the environment.

Administration of the request procedure is similar to FOI. Some environmental information requests may be refused under section 39 of the Freedom of Information Act and then answered under EIR.

How we handle requests

Our procedures for handling FOI and EIR requests and our procedure for reviews and complaints under DPA are attached below.

Fees and charges

There is no charge for an FOI request if the staff time taken to fulfil it is less than 18 hours.

If the staff time taken is likely to exceed 18 hours, the council has the right to charge a fee.

Fees are set by the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Currently staff time is calculated at £25 per hour, so at 18 hours the fee would be £450. Where possible we will assist the applicant to refine the request and determine what might be achieved within the £450 limit. If this is not possible, we will issue a Fees Notice detailing the full cost of the request. The request will not be progressed until the fees have been paid. The time taken to pay the fees does not count as part of the 20 working day target for responding to requests.

Disbursements (photocopying, copying to different media, postage etc.) will be free up to £10. Above this, we will charge the full cost.

Where an Environmental Information Regulation request is likely to take over 18 hours, we are likely to charge for staff time on the same basis as FOI, i.e. at £25 per hour. This is in addition to any fees identified in departmental fee structures.

Exemptions and exceptions

There may be legitimate reasons for withholding information. Under the Freedom of Information Act they are called exemptions, and under the Environmental Information Regulations they are called exceptions. Unless information is covered by an exemption or exception it must be released if requested.

Contact us

You can contact our Information and Asset Team using the Contact Us page.

Information Commissioner's Office

The Information Commissioner is responsible for overseeing the Freedom of Information Act, the Environmental Information Regulations and the Data Protection Act. The Commissioner is responsible for the issue of advice and guidance but also has enforcement powers. Breaches or refusals to comply with the Information Commissioner’s direction can ultimately lead to a contempt of court with substantial fines or in extreme cases imprisonment.

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Freedom of Information guidance (Information Commissioner's Office)

Number of FOI requests received