TYDD
ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL
Hedgeview, 231 Broadgate, Sutton
St Edmund, Spalding, Lincs, PE120LT
E mail tyddstmarypc@gmail.com
POLICY ON HANDLING FREEDOM OF
INFORMATION REQUESTS
Compliance
with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is the legal responsibility of local
authorities and other public organisations. It is part of a wider group of
national policies which aim to modernise government and show people how it is
working on their behalf. Since January 2005 people have had a right to know
what decisions are taken on their behalf, and how services are run. They can
ask to see not only printed leaflets and other publications, but also any
background files and other records relating to the business of the
organisation, unless statutory exemptions apply.
·
Tydd St
Mary Parish Council has produced and
publicised a Publication Scheme, which makes it clear what information can
already be accessed. The Publication
Scheme outlines any charges which may be made in supplying any information.
·
Any
additional information which is not part of the Publication Scheme can be
requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
·
A request
for information must be made by letter or e-mail and should be sent to the
Clerk to the Council. The request must include a contact name, an address for
correspondence and state clearly what information is required.
·
Responsibility
for dealing with all requests for information has been delegated to the Clerk
to the Council.
·
All
Requests under the F O I should be formally
logged and tracked.
·
The first
step will be to identify whether the requested data is held by the
council. If not, the applicant will be
notified accordingly.
·
If
information is held, and is not subject to any exemption, it will normally be
supplied within 20 working days unless there is a fee to pay, or further
clarification must be sought.
·
If the
request for information is unclear, the Clerk to the Council will contact the
applicant to clarify what data is being sought.
If clarification of a request is needed, the 20 working day period will
commence on receipt of the additional information.
·
If the
information is not held by the Council, but the Council is aware of another
public body which may hold the information, the request will either be forwarded
to the third party concerned, or the applicant will be give details of which
public authority is believed to hold the information.
·
Where
information cannot be provided, a refusal notice will be issued within 20
working days explaining which exemption applies, and advising of any right to
appeal, if applicable.
·
Where
information is subject to a ‘qualified exemption’ under the FOI Act, there may
be an extension to the 20 day period whilst further consideration is given to
applying the public interest test, to determine whether any information should
be withheld or disclosed.
· Where any complaint is received about the processing of any request for information, this will be referred on to full Council for attention.
Where any correspondence is received from the Information Commissioner’s Office in relation to any Freedom of Information matter, this will be referred on to full Council for attention.
Version number |
Date Approved |
Amendments Made |
Next Review Date |
V1 |
April 2021 |
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March 2023 |
V2 |
March 2023 |
Yes |
March 2025 |
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