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Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Publication Scheme
This is a guide to the information Gloucester City Council publishes or intends to publish, how it is made available, and whether it is available free of charge or upon payment.
Introduction
In order to help everyone gain access to the information they require, the Freedom of Information Act requires all public authorities to adopt and maintain a publication scheme.
This is Gloucester City Council's scheme under the Act, which has been agreed by the Information Commissioner. It sets out the classes of information that it publishes or intends to publish, how the information is made available, and whether it is available free of charge or upon payment.
Any enquiries please contact the Freedom of Information Officer.
The City Council delivers a wide range of services. These include:
* Benefits
* Building Control
* Development Control
* Council Tax
* Environmental Health
* Housing
* Leisure & Culture
* Planning
* Streetcare
The City Council comprises 36 elected members. In 2001 the City Council adopted a new Constitution based on the cabinet with Leader model. There are currently 6 cabinet portfolios.
Gloucester City Council's Approach
The purpose of the publication scheme is to ensure that a large amount of information is available to the public, without the need for a specific request. Gloucester City Council intends that its scheme will encourage the publication of more information than it is required to publish under existing legislation in order to develop a greater culture of openness.
Gloucester City Council sees the introduction of the Act as an opportunity to improve the ways in which it informs the public it serves and to ensure that it manages the enormous amount of information it holds effectively and in the public interest.
The City Council recognises that information must be one of its most important assets and welcomes the fact that the Freedom of Information Act provides a driver to make it more widely available.
Description of the Scheme
In preparing this scheme we have taken account of the sort of information that people normally ask us for and what they are interested in. The Publication Scheme is a guide to the information assets of the City Council. The term 'Publication' is not limited to information contained in a bound or printed form; it includes many different forms of producing information (web based information is just as much part of the scheme as a mass-produced leaflet).
It is not intended to be a complete list of every publication and leaflet produced since such a list is extensive and is subject to frequent change. In most cases examples of key publications are given to indicate the range of information provided.
The description of each class must contain any exemptions, i.e. any information that might fall within the broad definition that will not be routinely published. It will be seen that under this scheme, that applies in only one case: to County Council meeting papers on exempt items as defined by legislation.
The classes are derived from the core business of the City Council service delivery areas, and for ease of access are subject based rather than organised to reflect the structure of the City Council. The Gloucester City Council Publication Scheme is divided into classes of information. In each case the scheme gives the title of the class, an explanation and sometimes examples of the class, a description of the format and finally an indication of any charge for printed information. It is not necessary to have knowledge of the structure of the Council to find your way round the scheme.
What information is covered by this Scheme?
This scheme only covers information created by Gloucester City Council, although in cases where partnership working with other organisations has taken place, Gloucester City Council may not be the only author of the document.
Unless otherwise stated, all information within this scheme relates to the currently available or published version. The relevant information under each class will automatically be updated and published as required.
The scheme will also be reviewed during the first twelve months. Thereafter it is anticipated that a publication scheme would be reviewed, renewed and submitted to the Information Commissioner every three years.
The scheme does not affect other rights of individuals to access information under different legislation.
What about personal information that is held about me?
A great deal of information that we hold is personal and private to individuals. The Freedom of Information Act does not deal with this, the relevant legislation being the Data Protection Act. The Freedom of Information Act will not be making public private and confidential information about the private concerns of someone's individual dealings with the Council. The individual concerned, however, does have a right of access to that information under the Data Protection Act. Your private affairs and business with the Council as an individual is therefore not the subject of this publication scheme.
How do I access the information?
No charge will be made for examining the information within the publication scheme and much can be downloaded free of charge via this web site. Printed documents, for which a charge will be made in some cases, can be obtained from the address below. Where documents are available for inspection at Council premises, there may be a charge at the advertised rate for the reproduction of documents. Gloucester City Council wishes to make as much information as possible available free of charge, but there will be instances where this is not possible.
In broad terms the following conditions will apply:
* Website: free of charge unless otherwise specified
* Email: free of charge unless otherwise specified
* Material printed from website at City Council public access terminals: a charge may be levied to cover the cost of printing
* Publications produced by the City Council for sale: As per cover price
* Charges will be kept under review. There is no intention to charge for material that has previously been made available free of charge.
If any person has difficulty with access to the scheme and the documents to which it refers, for example requiring a copy in large print, Braille, another language or audio cassette format or otherwise requires particular assistance or has any comments, complaints or suggestions about the scheme then they are invited to contact the Freedom of Information Officer.
In addition it does not limit a person's rights to request further information from or complain to the Information Commissioner about freedom of information or data protection matters at the following address:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK95AF
Tel: 01625 545 745
Fax: 01625 524 510
DX: 20819 Wilmslow
E-mail: data@dataprotection.gov.uk
Where do I look for general information about local government?
Your query on a local matter may subsequently involve a search for national, regional, or other consultative material produced by government, other public bodies, or voluntary organisations.
You may receive advice on where to look by contacting the your local library, Citizen's Advice Bureau, or through using a web search engine.
The Publication Scheme 2008 is available to download from this page.
The Publication Scheme 2009 is currently under consultation. When consultation is complete, the document will become available to download from this page.
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