Freedom of Information - advice

The Freedom of Information Act has been in force since 1 January 2005 and all councils in Dorset are committed to providing the public with as much information as possible.

This page sets out the councils' requirements under the legislation. To view disclosures already made this year by Dorset County Council please view the Disclosure Log 2010 [25kb] [PDF] (opens in a new window)

Can I see all information held by the council?

You can ask to see any information that the council holds, however some information may be subject to exemptions. There are 23 exemptions under the FOIA, some are absolute - meaning that no information can be released, and others are conditional - which means that the disclosure of the information should be weighed against the public interest test. If you would like to find out more information about the exemptions please view the Information Commissioners Office (opens in a new window).

Individuals have the right to access information held about themselves under the Data Protection Act.

What is the Publication Scheme?

Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act every public authority is obliged to have in place a publication scheme. The scheme commits us to proactively publish information and make it accessible to members of the public. See our Guide to published information for details of the types of information we make available.

How do I make a FOI request?

See the contact details at the bottom of this page to email your request. Or you can write to us using the details on the Information Request Form [351kb] [PDF] (opens in a new window).

Please try and be as specific as possible when requesting information and include the following information in writing:

Contact name
Contact address
State what information you want to view
The format you would prefer to have the information in

Your request will be answered within 20 working days of the authority receiving the request.

Will there be a cost?

The majority of requests are free however there may be charges if the request takes over 18 hours work to compile or for photocopying charges over £5. For more information on our fees policy please view the link on the left. If you want to use the information for commercial gain please view the Office of Public Sector Information (opens in a new window) (PSI) regulations.

How do I appeal or make a complaint?

If you wish to make a formal complaint about the way we have dealt with your freedom of Information request you should do this writing. Your complaint will be dealt under the councils' standard complaints procedures. If you are still dissatisfied with the outcome you can appeal to the Information Commisioner (opens in a new window)Information Commissioner.

Access to information - fees policy
This policy is concerned with the levying of fees and charges in relation to requests for access to information received by the county council - January 2005.
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
The Environmental Information Regulations allow access to broad range of information subject to exceptions and came into force on 1 January 2005.
The re-use of public sector information (PSI)
New regulations governing the re-use of public sector information came into force on 1 July 2005. We are required to make information available for re-use, give permission for that re-use, and in some circumstances, we can charge for the information.
Guide to published information
The Information Commissioner's Office has prepared a 'Model Publication Scheme' to be adopted by all public authorities by 1 January 2009. We have adopted the scheme and have set out below the types of information we make available.