Provision of Information under the Freedom of Information Act
The Council provides information on the Freedom of Information Act, and advises citizens how to request public information an authority may hold.
The Freedom of Information Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. It sets out exemptions from that right and places a number of obligations on public authorities.
Any person who makes a request to a public authority for information must be informed whether the public authority holds that information, and subject to exemptions, must be supplied with that information.
Individuals already have the right of access to information about themselves under the Data Protection Act 1998. As far as public authorities are concerned, the Freedom of Information Act has extended this right to allow public access to all types of information held.
Every public authority has published and maintains a Publication Scheme setting out the classes of information it holds, the manner in which it intends to publish the information, and whether a charge will be made for the information.
More information on the Freedom of Information Act can be found on the Government website.
Requesting Information
The first step is to check whether the information you want is already available. If the information is available on the council’s website you will be able to access it there.
If the information is not available on the council’s website or if you cannot find what you want in the Publication Scheme, you will need to make your Freedom of Information request.
To request the Council for information under the Freedom of Information Act or to contact the Council in relation to the Act please write to:
Democratic and Legal Services
Burnley Borough Council
Town Hall
Manchester Road
Burnley
BB11 9SA
or send an e-mail to foi@burnley.gov.uk
You will need to tell us:
- Your name and address. This is so we can contact you with any queries about your request, and provide the information to you;
- Details of the information you are seeking;
- Whether you would prefer to receive the information in a particular format. We will try to deliver the information in this way, although it may not be possible in all cases
Appeals Procedure
A request for information may only be refused if it falls under one of the exemptions. If your request is refused you can ask the Council to conduct a review of its decision under the Council’s complaints procedure. The review will be carried out by someone who has not been involved in dealing with your request for information. If you require a review you should write to the Head of Democratic and Legal Services, at the address given above. If, after the internal review, your request is still refused, you may ask The Information Commissioner to review that decision… https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/official-information-concerns-report/official-information-concern/
