Publication Scheme
North West Leicestershire District Council is required to have a Publication Scheme. This commits the council to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities.
Please see our latest Publication Scheme 2018/2019 (Word Document, 0.1 Mb).
The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) provides a model publication scheme which provides a breakdown of the classes or types of information which we should publish.
Some information may only be available by viewing in person. An appointment can be made to view such information within a reasonable timescale.
Transparency
The Local Government Transparency Code was issued to meet the Government’s desire to place more power into citizens’ hands to increase democratic accountability. The goal is to make it easier for local people to contribute to the local decision making process and help shape public services.
Open Data
Data published under the Transparency Code and our Publication Scheme, along with information published by our departments, is available on our website.
Find the information you are looking for in our Open Data.
Information held by us that is not published can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act (2000). You can make a Freedom of Information request online or in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions (6)
The Act itself does not place restrictions on how the information supplied under it may be used.
But you should, of course, have regard to the laws of the land. It must not be used for any illegal purposes and you should not use it in a way which could leave you open to prosecution or other forms of litigation.
In particular, it should be noted that the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 does not transfer copyright in any information supplied under it.
You may ask for the information to be supplied to you in any format.
But we may take into account the cost of supplying the information in your preferred format.
In any case, you may ask for information in summary form, or for permission to inspect the records containing the information you require.
In general, any information that is held by a public authority, which is covered by the Act, is potentially available to the public.
But the Act does contain a number of 'exemptions' that may be applied to prevent the disclosure of information that, if released, would, for example, infringe a person's right to privacy, or constitute a breach of confidence, or which could prejudice law enforcement or national security, etc.
Depending on the information requested, an exemption might apply to all or only part of that information. If only part of the information is exempt, you will still be able to obtain those parts of the information that are not exempt.
While the Act does not specifically limit the number of requests you can make, it does give us the right to refuse any 'vexatious' or unreasonably repeated requests.
This can include repeated requests for similar information from the same person (or persons acting together) or requests which are deemed to be made with the intention of disrupting our work.
If your request is refused, for example because the information requested falls within one or more of the statutory exemptions, you will be told why it was refused and informed of any exemptions that apply.
If you are unhappy with our decision, we will do everything we can to resolve your complaint on an informal basis in the first instance.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the informal complaints process you may apply to us for an internal review of the decision.
This review will be undertaken by different officers from those who made the original decision and the result of the review will be notified to you in writing. If, having gone through our internal review procedure, you are still unhappy with our decision, you may ask the Information Commissioner to independently review the case.
The Information Commissioner is responsible for administering and enforcing the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 and may be contacted at the following address: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Where we're permitted by, or under, statute and have, in the past, charged for providing certain information and publications, such charges will remain.
If you are requesting information that is covered in our 'Publication Scheme', the scheme gives details of those classes of information where we may charge for providing the information.
We may, in certain circumstances, also be able charge for certain information that is not covered in the scheme although, at the time of writing (early December 2004), the regulations governing this aspect of the Act had not been issued.
Keep an eye on this website for the latest developments and for details of all current charges and fees for our publications and services.
Last updated: Fri 18 September, 2020 @ 13:59