Freedom of information

The council will not charge for information if the cost of locating and collating that information is less than £450. However, the council can charge for actual disbursement costs incurred such as photocopying, postage and packaging costs.  If the cost is between £450 and £800 the council can ask you to pay the full cost of handling the request. 

If the council needs to charge for the information, a fees notice will be issued stating how much the cost will be. The 20 working day time limit will stop until the fee is received. If the fee is not paid within three months, the council will be under no obligation to comply with the request.

The fees the council can charge under the act are set out in the Freedom of Information Fees Regulations 2004. Further information on charging is available on the Information Commissioner's website.