The Freedom of Information Act gives rights of access to information held by public authorities such as South Ribble Borough Council.
Anyone can ask for access to information the council holds, but there are rules under the Act that means confidential or sensitive information may be exempt from being supplied.
Make an FOI request
If you would like to make a Freedom of Information request, you will need to let us know:
- your name
- your address (or email address)
- what information you are asking us to provide, in as much detail as possible.
Normally, we will provide the information within 20 working days (around a month). If we need more time, we will write to you and tell you when we will be able to answer your request, and why we need more time.
Fees and exemptions
The Freedom of Information legislation allows for the authority to charge for estimated disbursements (e.g. photocopying and postage). However, in keeping with the authority's culture of openness and the principles of access to information for all, disbursements costs will normally be waived. Where they are considered excessive, we may need to consider the interests of the public purse and we may decide to charge in accordance with legislation. In these instances, we will write to inform you and only process your request upon receipt of payment. Furthermore, where the cost to locate and retrieve the information you require exceeds £450, the authority has the right to refuse your request.
To protect the interests of the state and third parties, there are exemptions that can be applied. The authority will always give due regard to the public interest when applying exemptions and will write to you to inform you on any decisions made.