Welcome to Barrow Borough Council's Access to Information
pages.
On 1st January 2005 the Freedom of Information Act
and the Environmental Regulations 2004 came fully into
force. These were followed by the Re-use of
Public Sector Information Regulations which came into effect on
1st July 2005.
Barrow Borough Council is committed to keeping you informed
about what we are doing for you. We will provide access to as
much information as possible about the way we make decision, do
business and deliver services that directly affect you.
The purpose of this section of the site is to explain what
these pieces of legislation mean, how to make a request and how
your request will be handled. It also describes
the wide range of information which Barrow Borough Council already
publishes and where to find it.
On this page: What would you like to
know? | Summary of legislation
for different data types? | Freedom
of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) | Environmental Information Regulations
(EIRs) | Data
Protection Act |Copy
Charges under FOIA and EIRs| Useful Links
What would you like to know?
Find out more about the legislation:
Summary of legislation for different data types
| Type of information being requested |
Format in which request needs to be made |
Legislation which the information falls under |
Deadline to provide information |
| General Advice e.g. opening hours, how to get
to the office, anything which can be answered immediately from
memory e.g. local knowledge, etc. |
Any format |
None. |
None (but there may be internal targets) |
| Information about the applicant (or someone
authorised to act on their behalf). |
Must be written. |
Data Protection Act. |
40 Calendar Days |
| Information about someone else (a "third party"). |
Must be written. |
Freedom of Information. |
20 Working Days. |
| Information about the environment or
human interaction with the environment (land landscape, soil,
water, air, atmosphere, flora and fauna, emissions, pollution and
SMOG, sewers and drainage, cultural sites, the food chain,
pesticides, policies and any plans and agreement affecting any of
the above). |
Can be oral or written. |
Environmental Information Regulations. |
20 Working Days. |
| Any other written information which may be found in the
corporate records. |
Must be written. |
Freedom of Information. |
20 Working Days |
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)
Freedom of
Information is about improving Citizens' access to information
about the organisation that they deal with everyday. FOI will
deliver greater openness and transparency throughout the public
sector and applies to all public authorities.
When did the Act come into effect? The
Act came into effect in two stages - since March 2003 public
authorities have been required to maintain a Publication Scheme
and since January 2005 any person has had a
statutory right to request information under the Act.
What exactly does the Freedom of Information Act
do? The Act gives any person or body resident in or
outside the UK the right to access to all types of recorded
information of any age in public authorities. Subject to
certain conditions and exemptions, anyone who makes a request to
the Council for information will be entitle to receive it.
Information requested, unless exempt from
disclosure under one or more exemptions contained in the Act, must
be supplied within 20 working days of the request. A refusal
to release the information must be given in writing and the reasons
for refusal specified along with the applicant's right to
appeal.
How to make a request.
Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs)
The Environmental Information Regulations 1992
and Environmental Information (Amendment) Regulations 1998 give a
right of access to environmental information held by
Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council. This can include
information relating to air, water, land, natural sites, flora and
fauna and activities or measures relating to and affecting any of
these.
Information can be viewed
free of charge.
Charges made under FOIA and EIRs for Plans and Documents
held by Barrow Borough Council from December 2012
|
Paper Size
|
Style
|
Cost per page
|
|
A4
|
B & W
|
£0.10
|
|
A3
|
B & W
|
£0.20
|
|
A4
|
Colour
|
£0.80
|
|
A3
|
Colour
|
£1.50
|
|
A2
|
Colour
|
£5.00
|
|
A1
|
Colour
|
£7.00
|
|
A0
|
Colour
|
£10.00
|
How to make a request.
Data Protection Act (DPA)
The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to request
organisations to provide them with any "personal data" that is held
covering them. Data is defined as personal data under the Act
it it either relates to a living individual who can be identified
from that data, or from that data and other information which is in
the possession of, or likely to come into the possession of the
Data Controller, i.e. Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council.
Individuals have the right to know whether or not the Council holds
any personal data about them and, if so, what it is.
Find out more about Barrow Borough Council's Data
Protection Policy.
How to make a request.
Links to Useful Information on Specific Acts
For further information about any of the Acts specified on
this area of the website simply click on any of links below and you
will be taken directly to information on the Internet regarding a
specific Act.