Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into full effect on 1 January 2005 and gives people the right to request information from public authorities.

If you wish to request information that you believe to be held by Winchester City Council, you should first check our Publication Scheme. The web-site also contains a lot of information about the Council. Many simple requests for information can be dealt with by a telephone call to the relevant Department - a list of contact numbers is provided on the web-site.

If the information is not available elsewhere and you wish to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act), the request should be submitted in writing, which can include e-mail or fax. You can use the Request Form, or write a letter or e-mail either to the Department where you think the information is likely to be held or to the Head of Legal Services, Winchester City Council at:

City Offices
Colebrook Street
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 9LJ

E-Mail: democracy@winchester.gov.uk

In order to comply with the FOI Act, the Council should respond to all written requests within 20 working days. There are a number of exemptions to your right to information. The exemptions that are most likely to apply to information held by the Council are summarised in the Council's Access to Information Policy (see downloads below).

A fee may be payable and will be charged in accordance with the Fees Regulations set out in Appendix C of the Policy. For most requests, there will be no fee payable except photocopying or printing and postage costs. Where a fee is required, you will be informed of the amount which you will have to pay before the request is processed.

Personal Information
Much of the information held by the Council is personal information about people and is confidential. The Data Protection Act 1998 already gives you the right to access personal information about yourself. If you wish to request personal information about yourself, please follow the Data Protection link on the left hand side of this page.

If you request personal information about somebody else, the request will be dealt with under the FOI Act. Most of the personal information we hold will be confidential and will be covered by an exemption.

The Information Commissioner
The Information Commissioner's web-site contains detailed guidance about the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act. The Commissioner will also deal with any complaints you have about the way in which the Council responds to your requests for information. Contact details for the Commissioner are:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Downloads:

File format	File title	File size / Download time
	FOI Request Form	70K 56Kbps Modem: 10 Seconds Broadband: 1 Second
	Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Publication Scheme	111K 56Kbps Modem: 16 Seconds Broadband: 1 Second
	Access to Information Policy	219K 56Kbps Modem: 32 Seconds Broadband: 1 Second