Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Access to information

Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) gives everyone a general right of access to information held by public authorities. The Council has approved a Publication Scheme which is a guide to the information the Council routinely publishes. You can download our scheme from the right of the page. In deciding how to handle a request for information, the Council will have regard to the advice published on the Information Commissioner's Office website. An up-to-date version of the Act can be found on the Government’s Statute Law Database website.

Environmental Information Regulations 2004

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) grant rights to information on the environment held by public authorities. For more information, visit the Information Commissioner’s website.  For some Government guidance and to look at the Regulations themselves see the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website. When deciding whether the FOI or EIR applies, the Council will have regard to the DEFRA guidance.

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 provides rights to attend meetings and to inspect and copy documents relating to the Council’s formal decision-making processes. For more information, see the Council’s Access to Information Procedure Rules that are part of the Council’s Constitution. An up-to-date version of the Act can be found on the Government’s Statute Law Database website.

The principles that the Council will follow in dealing with requests for information are:

• We operate a presumption in favour of the release of requested information
• Where a request for information is unclear, rather than simply refusing the request we will work with the applicant to clarify what information they want and whether the Council can supply it
• Where there is doubt whether information can be released, we will take into account relevant guidance.

If you wish to request any information or have any questions, you should contact Mark Hewer in the first instance on 01235 520202 or via email at foi@whitehorsedc.gov.uk.

Other local authorities' schemes

All the other Councils in Oxfordshire have produced similar Publication Schemes which can be inspected at their own offices as well on their websites. For Town and Parish Councils Schemes, you should contact the Clerk to the relevant local council - for contact details see our page on Parish Councils.