Freedom Of Information Act 2000
This section provides frequently asked questions about the public's rights under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
What is the Freedom of information Act 2000?
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives a right of access to the information held by public authorities including the Council.
What information can I access?
You can request any information that the Council holds on record, either on paper or electronically.
Are there any exemptions to what information I can obtain?
Yes, there is a list of exemptions.
A full list of exemptions is available on request from Customer Services (01737 276000) but these exemptions may include e.g. personal information about individuals, contractual details or information due for release in the future.
How do I request information?
A request should be made in writing, stating your name, address and describing the information you require.
Write to:
- Freedom of Information Request,
Customer Services.
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council
Town Hall, Castlefield Road
Reigate, Surrey
RH2 0SH.
A form will shortly be available on our website for you to download, or from our Customer Services team.
How will the Council give me the information I request?
You are entitled to tell the Council how you wish to view the information. These can either be:
- Paper copy;
- Inspection of the record containing the information; or
- Digest or summary of the information.
Is there a cost to requesting information?
Most requests will be free of charge although the Council may charge for copying and postage.
Requests for information, which involve a significant amount of time to retrieve, may involve a fee but this would be notified to you before the information was released.
How long will the Council take to produce the information?
The Council will try to provide the information as quickly as possible and in any case within 20 working days, starting from the day after the request is recorded.
If a fee is required, the days between the dates on which a fees notice is sent to you and the day the fee is paid will not form part of the 20-day time limit.
If the Council requires more information?
If the Council requires more information to identify or locate the information requested and it has informed you of this, the 20-day time limit will not begin until you have supplied that information.
When the Council does not have to give information
The Council does not have to give information that falls into the category of “absolute exemption”.
In these cases the Council will need to apply the public interest test and consider whether withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it. (Details of all categories of exemption are available on request from our Customer Services team.)
What if you are unhappy with the Council’s response?
If you remain dissatisfied, you may lodge a complaint under the Council’s complaints procedure, and the Chief Executive will arrange for your request to be reviewed.
You may then ask the Information Commissioner to decide whether the Council has dealt with the request in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
If the Information Commissioner feels that the Council’s decision was unjust then the Council may be forced to provide the information requested.
If you or the Council are unhappy with the Commissioner’s findings then either party may appeal to the Information Tribunal.
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council
Town Hall
Castlefield Road
Reigate
RH2 0SH
01737 276000
customer.services@reigate-banstead.gov.uk
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council is not responsible for the content of external sites.
