Freedom of Information
You now have a right to ask for information held by your council, under a law called The Freedom of Information Act 2000. Sometimes this is called FOI.
What are my rights?
From 1 January 2005 you have a right to get hold of information held by any public body, including South Northamptonshire Council.
Who can ask for information under FOI?
Anyone can. It does not matter how old you are, where you live or your nationality.
What information will be available?
Any information held by the Council can be given to you. There is a limited amount of information that may be confidential and we cannot let you have. The law calls these “exemptions”. We will tell you if that is the case.
We have a Publication Scheme that lists all the kinds of information we have:-
- The Freedom of Information Act - Publication Scheme
- The Freedom of Information Act - Publication Scheme Guide
How do I make a FOI request?
The law says you have to let us have your FOI request in writing, but that includes an email. There are a number of ways you can let us have your request:
| In writing | Information Systems Officer South Northamptonshire Council Springfields Towcester Northants NN12 6AE |
| By email | customerservice@southnorthants.gov.uk |
| Online | FOI Request online form |
To make it easier for us to deal with your request please include:
- Your name
- Your address
- A clear summary of the information you want
- Any particular format you want for the information (such as email, pdf or a letter) although we cannot guarantee to supply the information in the format you ask for
Please make the request as specific as you can, we cannot always help you with very general requests. We may have to come back to you to check what you want in more detail.
It is our job to help you make the request and to get the information you want, so please ask for help if you need it.
What happens when I make a request?
We must come back to you as quickly as possible and no later than 20 working days after you made your FOI request. We will let you know if we hold the information and give you the information you want. If we can’t give you the information – for example, it may be “exempt” – then we will tell you why.
What if I am not happy?
We do our best to answer the question you raised as fully and accurately as we can. If you have any concerns about the way we have done this, we have a review process to look into such concerns. If you wish to use this, please write to;
Cheif Executive
South Northamptonshire Council
Springfields
Towcester
Northants
NN12 6AE
Setting out your concerns and what action you think the Council ought to take. If you are still unhappy at the end of this process, you can contact the independent Information Commissioner at the following address;
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wimslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF.
How much will this cost me?
We may charge you if we have to convert the information into a different format. We may also charge for any photocopying and postage costs.
How can I find out more?
Find out more about FOI at the Information Commissioner's website.