Freedom of Information

From 1st January 2005, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) provides everyone, anywhere in the world, with a right to see information held by public authorities in the UK. Though the Act also provides some exemptions to disclosure, the Act is a landmark in open government.

Publication Scheme
The publication scheme is a list which is freely available of all the information that the Council holds or publishes. This includes statutory registers as well as information on particular services etc. A copy of our scheme is on the website under Council/access to information. It shows how to get hold of the information and whether there is a charge for copies or inspection.

How does FOI work?
Any request for information is effectively an FOI request unless:

The request is for personal information about the applicant, which means the request is dealt with under the Data Protection Act 1998. Further information can be found on Data Protection pages .

The request is for information about the state of the land (flora, fauna, water etc) means the request will be dealt with under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

If the information does not fall within either of the above it is dealt with as an FOI request and should be directed in the first instance to the service which could most appropriately deal with the request. However, if you are unsure of where to direct your request for information please email: foi@southbucks.gov.uk or write to the FOI officer, South Bucks District Council, Council offices, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham, Bucks, UB9 4LH

Information Commissioner
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK's independent authority set up to promote access to official information and protect personal information by promoting good practice, ruling on eligible complaints, providing information to individuals and organisations, and taking appropriate action when the law is broken. However it is important to note that the Commissioner will only consider complaints when the complainant has exhausted the complaints route of the organisation that they have requested information from. In this case any dissatisfaction with the outcome of an FOI request must be submitted in writing using the Council's complaints procedure and only when this has finished can a complaint or appeal be lodged with the Commissioners office.

For more information on the work of the Information Commissioner:

Tel: 08456 30 60 60, 01625 54 57 45
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
www.ico.gov.uk (opens in a new browser)

Information Tribunals Service
Once any complaints or issues have been resolved by the Information Commissioner their decisions can be appealed and these are heard by the Information Tribunals Service. (opens in a new browser)