Publication scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the council to provide a publication scheme which is a guide to the information routinely made available to the public.

The publication scheme sets out details of other information held by us and which we make available to the public or intend to make available in the future.

Our publication scheme has been approved by the Information Commissioner, who is responsible for promoting good practice and ensuring compliance with freedom of information (FOI) and data protection laws (more information at Information Commissioner's Office).

Some of the information contained within a class may be subject to an exclusion from the Freedom of Information Act. Briefly, these are:

  • Personal information about individuals. Usually such information is subject to the Data Protection Act 2018.
  • Commercially sensitive information. This covers a wide range of situations but could include situations where publishing the information might prejudice our contractual negotiations or give an unfair advantage to others wishing to bid for a council contract.
  • Information which, if published, might prejudice the health and safety or the security of the council, its employees, systems, services or property.

We will only maintain an exclusion for as long as is necessary.

Please note: Not all information we publish is detailed in the publication scheme. You can make an FOI request to view any information that is not routinely published, with some exemptions. For more details or to make a request please see our freedom of information request page