From the beginning of 2005, anyone can request copies of any information that the Council holds. There are only a few exceptions these are mainly to protect personal privacy and to safeguard security and crime prevention. In some cases we may ask you to pay a fee.
A comprehensive guide to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is available on the Department for Constitutional Affairs or the Information Commissioner's Office website.
Making a Freedom of Information Request
You can make a Freedom of Information Request to St Edmundsbury Borough Council either in writing or by sending an email to the following address foi@stedsbc.gov.uk.
Please state clearly what information is required, the name of the applicant, and an address for correspondence.
We will respond as soon as possible, and no later than 20 working days after receiving your request. The reply will confirm or deny whether or not we hold the information, and either provide the information, or explain why it has not been provided and quote an exemption under the Act.
Once you have received a response to your request if you should disagree with the Council's response, we will carry out an internal review using our corporate complaints procedure. If you are still not satisfied with the results you may contact the Information Commissioner who has the authority to investigate individual cases. The Information Commissioner will not deal with complaints which have by-passed our internal review. The contact address for the Information Commissioner is as follows:
Information Commissioner
Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Publication Scheme
All public authorities are required to produce, maintain and disclose in accordance with a publication scheme. The scheme sets out what kinds of information the public authority will proactively make available, and how they will do it. St Edmundsbury Borough Council's publication scheme more info.
