Freedom of Information
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 it is the duty of every public authority to adopt and maintain a publication scheme.  The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has set out a generic model which commits a public authority to ‘produce and publish the method by which the specific information will be available so that is can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public’.  Bury St Edmunds Town Council has adopted the Information Commissioner’s model scheme.

 

The following headings indicate the type of information that is available in respect of Bury St Edmunds Town Council:

• Who we are and what we do
• What we spend and how we spend it
• What our priorities are and how we are doing
• How we make decisions
• Our policies and procedures
• Lists and registers
• The services we offer

Area of Information	How information can be accessed	Cost
Planning and Licensing	Website Hard copy	Free 10p per single-sided sheet plus postage and staff time at £25 per hour payable in advance
Christmas Lights and Nativity Scene	Website Hard copy	Free 10p per single-sided sheet plus postage and staff time at £25 per hour payable in advance
War Memorials	Website Hard copy	Free 10p per single-sided sheet plus postage and staff time at £25 per hour payable in advance
Allotments	Website Hard copy	Free 10p per single-sided sheet plus postage and staff time at £25 per hour payable in advance
Council Office premises	Website Hard copy	Free 10p per single-sided sheet plus postage and staff time at £25 per hour payable in advance
Health and safety management – seating; dog/litter bins; salt bins	Website Hard copy	Free 10p per single-sided sheet plus postage and staff time at £25 per hour payable in advance
Minutes of Council/ Committees and documents arising from such meetings	Website Hard copy	Free 10p per single-sided sheet plus postage and staff time at £25 per hour payable in advance

Information which would not generally be made available includes:

• Information the disclosure of which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure
• Information in draft form
• Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

Click here to download details of expenditure over £500.

The following sets out the procedure for applications made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI):

To make a request
To make a request under FOI please contact the Town Council in writing (by letter or e-mail) providing the following details:

• Your title, initials and last name
• Your address for correspondence (including the postcode)
• Your e-mail address (to assist any queries)
• A contact telephone number (to assist any queries)
• Details of the information you are requesting. Please be as specific as possible to reduce the time taken to process your request – this could affect any costs which you may incur

Send your application to:

Bury St Edmunds Town Council
Town Council Offices
7 Angel Hill
Bury St Edmunds
IP33 1UZ

The Town Council’s response
The Town Council will enter details of your request in its Record Book and will send you an acknowledgment setting out the date of the commencement of the statutory period of 20 working days.  You will be advised of the amount that you will be likely to pay for the information and payment will be required before the information is provided.

The Town Council must provide the information within your request within 20 working days or explain to you why it is unable to do so.

In exceptional circumstances some information may be available only by viewing in person.  Where this manner is specified, details of the Town Clerk will be provided and an appointment made to view the information will be arranged within a reasonable timescale.

Information will be provided in the language in which it is held or in such other language that is legally required.  Where the Town Council is legally required to translate any information, it will do so. Obligations under disability and discrimination legislation and any other legislation to provide information in other forms and formats will be adhered to when providing information in accordance with the model scheme.

Information held by the Council that is not published under this scheme can be requested in writing when its provision will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

What to do if you are unhappy with any FOI decision
If you are unhappy with information provided you may request an internal review of this matter via the Town Council’s Finance, Policy & Resources Committee to full Town Council.  If, after an internal review, you are still unhappy with the decision, you have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at the following address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, telephone (01625) 545745.