Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides rights of public access to information held by public authorities. The Act came into force in 2005 and is intended to encourage greater openness and transparency across the entire public sector.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) produced a new Model Publication Scheme, which came into force on 1 January 2009. The Parish Council formally adopted the Model Publication at its December meeting. This document outlines the information that should be readily available to the public and the accompanying Guide to Information identifies where that information can be found.

It is the intention of the Parish Council to be open and accountable and to make its documents available on its website where it will be freely available to members of the public. The Parish Clerk holds all the listed information on file and photocopies can be provided by the Clerk for the cost of copying and postage.

The Parish Clerk will be responsible for operating the scheme on a day-to-day basis. If a request for information is refused, a reason must be given. When dealing with issues such as vexatious requests, the Council will use the guidance provided by the ICO. We will refer to this flowchart when handling all FOI requests.