Preparing for the freedom of information act

From the new year, local people will be able to request most information held by Sevenoaks District Council as a part of changes in the law.

From 1 January 2005, the Freedom of Information Act comes into effect, which enforces the public's right to have access to most information held by all public sector organisations and some private companies that supply goods and services to them.

The legislation is intended to promote a culture of openness and accountability and to help residents better understand how public authorities carry out their duties, how they reach decisions and how they spend public money.

Potentially the Freedom of Information act could cover policies, plans, procedures, reports, memos, financial data and contractual information. A full list of the types of information held by the Council is set out in the Council's Publication Scheme.

However, some exemptions to the requests apply. The key ones are that the Council cannot provide information about individuals, as this is covered by the Data Protection Act, information that can be obtained by other means, information intended for future publication, information provided to the Council in confidence, commercial interests and matters relating to national security and defence.

Requests under the Freedom of Information have to be made in writing either by letter or by e-mail and some charges may apply. The charges have been set by Central Government and apply to all public sector organisations.

Once the Council has the request and the respective fee, it has up to 20 working days to provide the information. The Council does not necessarily have to supply original documentation, but just the information held.

Cllr Nick Dean, the Cabinet Member with responsibility for implementing Freedom of Information at the Council, says: "With a number of exceptions, the public will be able to request most information about the Council and its activities from the new year. Although the act enforces the right of the public to information, we are already very much an open organisation and most of our information, especially information relevant to our residents, is readily and freely available, so the new legislation should not have a big impact on the way we work."

For more information, visit the Freedom of Information page on the Council's website www.sevenoaks.gov.uk in the 'Your Council' section where you can view the Publications Scheme and download a request form.

Alternatively contact the Council's Freedom of Information officer, Lauren Wallis, on 01732 227241 or e-mail foi@sevenoaks.gov.uk

You can also find out more by visiting the Information Commissioner's website
 www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk


For further information about this news release, please contact Daniel Whitmarsh in the Communications Team on 01732 227414 e-mail daniel.whitmarsh@sevenoaks.gov.uk