We are committed to being open, honest and transparent. This page brings together everything you need to know about accessing information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and related rights.

Before you make a new request, you may find that the information you need is already available.

Find information that is already available

View routinely published information (publication scheme)

We publish a wide range of information as part of our publication scheme. This sets out the types of information we make available without you needing to submit a request.

You can use the publication scheme to find:

• how the council is organised
• policies, strategies and procedures
• financial information, including spending and budgets decision‑making, meetings and reports

View our publication scheme

Transparency and open data

We publish key information so you can see how public money is spent and how decisions are made. This helps reduce the need for FOI requests and supports open government.

On our transparency pages you can find:

• council spending: payments over £500
• senior salaries and structure: senior pay, pay multiples and organisational charts
• contracts and tenders: contracts register and procurement information
• land and property: council‑owned assets and relevant land information
• open datasets: frequently requested information in reusable formats

View our transparency and open data

Business and licensing information

Many FOI requests we receive relate to licences, registrations or business‑related permissions.

Licences and registrations

We provide detailed information on the licences issued, including:

• alcohol, entertainment, charity collections and pubs
• taxis and private hire vehicles
• animal‑related licences
• street trading and pavement licences
• skin piercing, tattooing and special treatments
• business‑related registrations and permits

You can find guidance, application processes and statutory information for each licence type.

View our business and licensing pages

Business rates

We publish quarterly data on business rates accounts, including accounts in credit, reliefs and property lists.

View business rates

Public licensing register

We publish a live register of licences issued by us. This allows you to check current licence holders and view key information without needing to submit an FOI request.

You can:

• search for premises, people or vehicles
• view details of issued, pending or suspended licences
• check licence conditions and expiry dates (where applicable)
• access information required to be published by law

To access the register, go to the register, open the second tab called “Licence register,” and then choose the type of licence you want to view.

View our public licensing register

Environmental information

Some information is covered by the environmental information regulations rather than FOI. This includes information on:

• land and planning
• pollution, waste and emissions
• energy, noise and radiation
• natural resources, wildlife and biodiversity
• measures and policies affecting the environment

You do not need to know whether your request is FOI or EIR before contacting us. We will apply the correct rules and explain them in our response.

If you are unhappy with our response

If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your FOI or EIR request, you can ask us to review our decision.

Make a new request for information

If you cannot find what you need in our disclosure log, publication scheme or transparency pages, you can make a new request.

How to request information (FOI and EIR)

You have the right to ask for recorded information we hold. This includes documents, emails, reports, data and other records.

• Freedom of information (FOI): covers most council information.
• Environmental information regulations (EIR): cover environmental topics such as land use, planning, pollution, waste, water, air, noise and biodiversity.

We will tell you which regime applies if you are unsure.

Make a FOI or EIR request

Your rights and our duties

When you make an FOI or EIR request, we:

• normally have 20 working days to respond
• will confirm whether we hold the information
• will provide the information where we can
• may withhold information only where the law allows this

Sometimes we may need to balance your right of access with other interests. This is called the “public interest test”. In some cases, we may also charge a fee if your request is very large or complex. We will explain this if it applies.

Why we might withhold information

In limited circumstances, we may not be able to provide some or all of the information you have requested. For example, if:

• it contains personal information about someone else
• disclosure would harm law enforcement or public safety
• the information is confidential or commercially sensitive
• the cost of providing the information would be too high

When this happens, we will explain which exemption or exception applies and your right to ask for an internal review.

Requesting your own personal data (subject access requests)

FOI and EIR are usually for general information about council activities. If you want information about yourself, you need to make a subject access request under data protection law (UK GDPR). Data protection law controls how your personal information is used by organisations, including businesses and government organisations.

Use this route if you are asking for:

• your own records, such as housing, Council Tax or benefits information
• social care records about you
• HR or employment records relating to you

Request your personal data (subject access request)