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Notice: Do you need help with your benefits?

Make a Freedom of Information request (or EIR)

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force on 1 January 2005. The Act gives you the right to access information held by the council unless the information you ask for falls within any of the Act's exemptions.

Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) requires that all public authorities within the UK must adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme. This policy supports the Council's obligations under section 19 of the FOIA and is developed in line  with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) model publication scheme, model-publication-scheme.pdf (ico.org.uk)

Information Publication Scheme Policy (PDF) [278KB]

Published Information Available

Commonly Requested (datasets)

Some information released through a Freedom of Information or Environmental Regulations request may be of general public interest.  In these cases, we'll make this information available in datasets.

Commonly Requested (FOI's)

How do I make a request

To make a request, please complete the form on this page. 

To be valid a request:

  1. Must be in writing (including e-mail & online forms)
  2. Must state the name of the applicant and a postal address for correspondence; and
  3. Must adequately describe the information requested.

To help you make valid requests that properly answer your questions we will contact you when we get your request to discuss what information is available.

 

When you make a request for information

  1. we will inform you in writing whether we hold information of the description specified in the request; and
  2. if that is the case, we will communicate that information to you.

 

Receiving the information

You can say how you wish to receive the information. This may be by letter, in the form of a digest or summary of the information or by inspection of the information at the Council's offices on a date and at a time to be mutually agreed. Any costs associated with this may be passed onto you.

Please view the council's published information before making a request.

 

What can I ask for?

Information

You can ask for information that we hold at the time you make your request. Information may be in any form, e.g. paper documents, computer printouts, digests, maps, plans, photographs etc.

When you make a request you must describe the information you are looking for and provide as much detail as possible.

Environmental Information

  • Environmental information can be found on this website, and council publications relating to environmental issues can be found through the council's published information.
  • Inspection of registers and documents by an applicant on council premises is free of charge
  • To request access to environmental information you cannot find on the website, complete the request form on this page.

A full guide to environmental information regulations can be found  on the website of the Information Commissioner's Office.

General Queries

If you have any general queries please contact Information Management using the details on this page.

Further reading

The Information Commissioner's Office website contains detailed information about what can be requested, what to do before making a request, the legal requirements for a request, how to word a request and a useful list of Information Dos and Don'ts.

 

Exemptions

Exemptions cover information that would harm commercial interests, information provided in confidence, and people's personal data.

A full list of exemptions, including environmental exemptions, along with clarification and advice, can be found on the website of the Information Commissioners Office.

 

Timescales & Charges

Timescale

The council has 20 working days to respond to an applicant. This timescale can be extended to 40 days if the request is complex or extremely large.

Charges

Powys County Council can charge a reasonable amount for supplying information. We will inform you, in writing, what fee is payable. If the fee is not paid within 60 days, we will assume that you no longer want the information.

 

Can the Council refuse my request for information?

Yes. Vexatious and repeated requests and/or applications made with the aim of frustrating the operations of the Council may be refused. The Council may refuse to comply with a request for information where the Council estimates that the costs of complying with the request would exceed the costs ceiling set by the Government, or when a request does not contain the mandatory information outlined in the section 'How do I make a request?'

The Council may also refuse to comply with a request for information where the information is considered to be exempted under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. You will be given an explanation of the reasons for refusing your request for information.

 

What if I'm not satisfied or my request was refused?

If you are not satisfied with the decision i.e. your request has been refused or, where you consider that your request has not been properly dealt with, you can make a formal complaint under the Council's Complaints Procedure. 

If you are not satisfied with the decision, or where the Council has failed to respond to you within the time specified in the Complaints Procedure or, within the time agreed between you and the Council, you may apply to the Information Commissioner for an independent review at the following address:

The Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545700

Website: http://ico.org.uk

Make a Freedom of Information Request (EIR) Make a Freedom of Information Request (EIR)

 

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