Southampton City Council fact sheet
What is Freedom of Information?
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 has introduced new rights of access to information held by the Council. You may request, and expect to receive the information you require subject to any exemptions and restrictions imposed by the Act.
The Act applies to all information the Council holds regardless of how it was created or received. It applies no matter what media the information is stored in even if the information is held electronically. The Legislation applies to all public bodies and is designed to end the culture of unnecessary secrecy and to open up the inner workings of public services.
Exemptions to the Act
Certain information is exempted by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, The Data Protection Act 1998, and the Local Government Act 1972 for example:
An individual’s personal information
Information about negotiations which affecting commercial interest
Information which could affect the prevention (or investigation) of any crime or
related proceedings
Information provided in confidence
There are other restrictions on information relating to health and safety, legal professional privilege, court orders and national security. In some cases where an exemption applies the Council may apply a Public Interest Test. This involves considering whether the public interest is better served in disclosing or withholding the information.
The Publication Scheme
A publication scheme is a guide to the information that Southampton City Council routinely publishes or intends to publish routinely in the future. The Council is committed to a policy of open access to information under the Scheme. The term 'publication' is not limited to information contained in a bound or printed form, it includes many different forms of producing information - web based information is as much a part of the publication scheme.
The Publication scheme can be accessed on the Council Internet on the link below:
http://www.southampton.gov.uk/thecouncil/accesstoinfo/foi/classesofinfo.asp#
What about information not in the Publication Scheme?
If the information is not listed in the publication scheme and not already accessible then you need to make your request in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 guidelines.
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 you do not need to state a reason for your request nor do you have to refer to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It would be helpful for us however, if you could be as specific as possible in your request so as to enable us to find the information you require.
You do need to place your request in writing (this includes e-mail) and provide us with a reply address for correspondence and it would be helpful if could tell us of any special requirements that are needed in order to make the information accessible to you.
We have to let you know whether or not we hold the information and provide you with the information (subject to fee and exemptions) within 20 working days, (this time can be extended in specific circumstances).
It is recognised that requests for environmental information do not need to be in writing and are subject to exemptions under the Environment Information Regulations.
Who to contact
Where possible, please send your requests to the department you think hold the information you are looking for. If you are unsure of where to send the request then please send it to Legal and Democratic Services, Southampton City Council, Civic Centre, Southampton SO14 7LY or by e-mail to foi-requests@southampton.gov.uk
Further information regarding Freedom of Information generally can be obtained from:
Contact Name
Last updated: 11 August 2008