Data protection and freedom of information

Freedom of Information (Information Rights legislation) gives you a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by us. Any person making a request for information to the Council is entitled to be informed whether the information requested is held by us and, subject to any exemptions, be communicated that information.

The type of information you are requesting, will determine which piece of legislation your request is assessed under. The three pieces of legislation are listed and described below.

	Data Protection and Privacy (DPP) If you would like to know what personal information we hold about you or someone else, then you will need to submit a subject access request (SAR). This section also covers security, information sharing, data matching and how to access your social service records.
	Public Information Scheme Freedom of Information (Information Rights legislation) gives you a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by us. Any person making a request for information to the Council is entitled to be informed whether the information requested is held by us and, subject to any exemptions, be communicated that information.
	Re-Use of Public Sector Information (PSI) This section covers information where organisations/individuals are looking to re-use information the Council holds for commercial value. (under development)
	Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) This section explains what and how to request environmentaly related information only. For example, this includes information related to air, pollution, noise, land, animals etc.

You can view the information we have released under the Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations in our Disclosure Log...view more information

All requests must be made in writing, with the exception of EIR to the Freedom of Information team and must include:

• applicant's name, address (email or postal)
• sufficient detail to be able to locate and retrieve the information

The council aims to acknowledge all requests within 3 working days after reciept.