Accessing information we keep

Anyone that makes a written request for information (subject to exemptions and potential fees) must be informed whether we hold the information they've requested, and be supplied with that information. Make a request to view information we hold.

We will respond to all requests within 20 working days. We must consider public interest and whether any of the requested information is exempt from disclosure. There may be fees for providing the information and where this is the case the information will not be released until payment is received.

Information which is already available is listed in our Publication Scheme (PDF, 197KB). This lists all information that is currently published, the format in which it is available and any charges for the information.

If we do not respond to your request within 20 working days or if you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can ask for for an internal review of the decision by responding to the reply you recieve. This can also take up to 20 working days. If you are still unhappy following the results of this review then you can appeal to the Information Commissioner.

We can charge a fee that we consider reasonable for making information available, except in the case of access to public registers or lists of environmental information.

We can charge for the following:

  • Determining whether we hold the information requested
  • Locating the information, or a document containing the information
  • Retrieving the information
  • Extracting the information from documents containing it
  • Other costs of making available the information eg supervision of scanning and photographing of documents, postage and photocopying costs
  • Postage and other means of transmission (eg CD-Roms) will be charged at cost and photocopying at 10p per A4 sheet

Protecting information

We protect the information we hold by following the rules of the data protection legislation.

We register details of information we process and the purpose of that processing with the Information Commissioner. View our entry on the data controllers register.

You can also view the entry for our Electoral Registration Officer or search the entire register.

Please view the Council's Privacy Notice for information regarding the what happens with your information. This also contains some information about your rights in law.

Information we hold about you

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you can make a request to see information we hold about you or you can download the Subject Access Request form. You may be required to attend our offices with further proof of identification in order to help establish your identity before the processing of your request. All requests submitted under the Data protection Act will be responded to within 1 calendar month where possible, following the reciept of acceptable identification information.

See more information about Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR)

Do you suspect that there has been a data breach?

If you feel as though the Council has mishandled your personal data in someway, please complete the simple data incident form and a member of the Information Governance Team will investigate the matter. If you do not wish to complete the form, you can alternatively email our FOI team or Complaints team.

Reusing public information

Public information can be reused for things other than its original purpose. However, we do not have to make information available for reuse unless there is a statutory obligation to do so. Read more about the reuse of information from the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI).

Make a request to reuse information. We will respond to requests within 20 working days. If we are unable to respond within 20 working days, we will contact you as soon as possible explaining the reasons for this.

There are some exemptions to the regulations about the reuse of information we provide. This includes information about:

  • Educational or cultural establishments
  • Intellectual property that rests with a third party
  • Information that is exempt under Freedom of Information, Data Protection and other laws

In some cases we will only permit reuse under a set of conditions known as a licence. Where this is the case, we will inform you of the licence conditions and whether there is a charge for the licence.

If we refuse a request to reuse information, we will write to you:

  • Giving the reasons for refusal
  • Explaining our complaints and appeals procedure
  • If the refusal is because the copyright and/or intellectual property rights are owned by a third party, we will identify that third party where they are known

You can appeal against our decision or make a complaint about the way your request was handled. Our response will explain how to make a complaint.

If, having heard the outcome of your complaint or appeal, you are still dissatisfied, you can refer your case to the Office of Public Sector Information.

Information about past requests

We publish details about requests for information submitted under information access legislation.

We publish compliance information regarding the number of requests responded to within 20 working days. (relates to formal requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004)

Regular Request Data

The Council gets regularly asked for details relating to business rates accounts data. As a result we have published the following datasets. These will be reviewed regularly.

Fees and Charges

In certain circumstances, the Council may inssue a fees notice in response to a request for information submitted under the Freedom of Information Act, Environmental Information Regulations or Data Protection Act.

Any such fees notice will be raised in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 SI No. 3244