Greatham Parish Council - Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament that creates a general right of access, on request, to information held by public authorities, includuing Parish Councils.
As well as the "general right of access", the Act places a duty on public authorities to adopt and maintain pro-active "publication schemes" for the routine release of important information (such as annual reports and accounts). These publication schemes must be approved by the Information Commissioner.
Click here to see the Model Publication Scheme for Greatham Parish Council
In general, public authorities have 20 working days to respond to an information request, though this deadline can be extended in certain cases and/or with the agreement of the requester. Under the Act, public authorities are encouraged to enter into a dialogue with the requester to better determine the information they want, and the format they want it in - in itself, a change in the way UK authorities interact with the public.
Requests can be refused if they cost more than £600, including time spent searching for files.
To make a request for information from Greatham Parish Council, please write to the Parish Council Clerk.