Freedom of Information
also known as: information request.
Guidance and advice in relation to the Freedom of Information Act as it relates to Northumberland County Council.
Freedom of Information
Welcome to the Freedom of Information section
of the Council’s website. We have always been as open as possible
with the information we produce but with the introduction of the
Freedom of Information Act this section of the site will let you
know what information is available, how to access it and details of
readily available information.
What is Freedom of Information?
The Freedom of Information Act (2000) became
fully effective from 1st January 2005. The Act
gives you the right to request information from the Council.
Please note that a great deal of information will already be
available to you; check the publications scheme for details, a link
to the scheme is given below. You have a right of access to
information held by the Council although we may need to refuse
access in certain circumstances. These circumstances are
covered in the Act and protect against the disclosure of
information that would harm commercial interests, information
provided in confidence, personal information and other important
interests for the Council.
Requests for information we hold about yourself should be
directed to the Data Protection Officer, click here
for more information.
Our publication scheme
Click here to
view our Publication Scheme
Disclosure Log
Click here to
view our disclosure log for 2009.10
Click here to
view our disclosure log for 2010.11
How to make a request
Any request should be in writing (by letter or
by email) and should contain as much information as possible to
enable us to supply you with the precise details that you
need. If you have any difficulty with this you should contact
us on the phone via 0845 600 6400.
The written request can be made in any of the
following ways:
- email us at: FOI@Northumberland.gov.uk
- In writing to: Freedom of Information Office,
Northumberland County Council, County Hall, Morpeth,
Northumberland, NE61 2EF
Your responsibilities
- You must include your name and contact
details
- You should be as precise as possible with
your request
- You do not need to give a reason
- You should not request personal information,
this is dealt with under the Data Protection Act and you will find
a detailed section on this on our website.
- You may need to pay a fee; if this is the
case you will be notified in advance and asked if you still want to
go ahead with the request.
- You should tell us how you want to receive
the information (eg. by post, by email etc). We will try to supply
the information in the format you request.
Our responsibilities
- To supply you with the information, wherever
possible, and to do so within 20 working days of you making the
request.
- To supply you with all the information
requested unless it falls within one of the exemptions in the Act.
If this is the case you will be informed of our reason for not
supplying you with that information.
- You have a right to an internal review
if we cannot supply you with the information you have requested. To
do this you should write to the Freedom of Information Officer at
the address above either by email or in a letter.
- Please note that vexatious and repeated
requests or applications made with the aim of frustrating the
Council’s operations may be refused. We may also refuse to supply
information where that information is considered to be exempt under
the Act. If you want more details on these exemptions or any
part of the Act please contact the Council’s Freedom of Information
officer as detailed above or contact;
The Information Commissioner’s
office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545745 or 08456 306060
Click here to go to the Information
Commissioner's website
