Freedom of Information

As in any large organisation, we hold a great deal of information in a range of formats. If you cannot find the information you need on this website, we may nevertheless be able to supply it, subject to legal and sometimes financial limitations. If you are unsure about the information you want, we would strongly urge you to discuss your requirements with us so that we can help you to clarify exactly what it is that you are looking for.


Legislation covering the stewardship of information held by public bodies is complex, but in simple terms, the following pieces of legislation set out what you can expect from us, what we require from you, and the rules that we must adhere to when holding and releasing information.

The Data Protection Act 1998
This is principally about personal data - information about recognisable, living people. If you want to see information held that is specifically about you, you should submit your request in writing, together with the standard fee of £10. In order to protect against inadvertently invading someone else's privacy, we will need to establish that you are who you say you are before we supply this information. Different rules apply to requests from employees. Under normal circumstances, you can expect to receive the information within 40 calendar days.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000
This relates more generally to non-personal information held by the Authority. The Act requires that we confirm, in writing, whether or not we hold the information you have asked for, and that we provide the information within 20 working days. Not surprisingly, there are several exemptions to this, concerning serious matters such as national security, personal safety and law enforcement. There are also exemptions covering unreasonable or repeated requests, or those that are clearly part of a campaign.

Requests for information under this legislation should be made in writing, giving your name and an address for correspondence, and describing the information requested. If the cost of complying with your request goes over the nationally set threshold of £450, we may send you an invoice for this amount before releasing the information to you.

Environmental Information Regulations 2004
Your request for environmental information does not necessarily have to be in writing, but we will need to know how you would like to receive the information (for example, by e-mail or on paper), and we will need to know where to send our invoice, as reasonable fees may be payable, depending on the nature and extent of the information being sought.

Normally, your request will be answered within 20 working days, although this can be extended to 40 working days under defined circumstances.