Freedom of Information Requests
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Information about common freedom of information requests and guidance on making a request.
Since the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in January 2005 the Council has received a whole range of various requests. On this page are details of some of the requests and the responses provided along with tips and advice for other customers who are thinking of making requests.
Company Requests
Many companies have realised that they can use the FOIA to get information from councils to help them with their marketing research. As a consequence the Council receives regular requests for details of contracts, tender arrangements, procurement activity and suppliers to name but a few. Requests have been made about the number and types of vehicles we operate, car parks and car parking meters and the agencies that we use to employ temporary staff. The Council prides itself on its open and positive approach to this information and provided it is not commercially sensitive then it will be disclosed. The responses provided have been specific to certain service areas and change over time so the Council will have to continue to deal with these as and when they are submitted. However, more and more information is now being published about suppliers and contracts as a result of the Act coming in to force.
Research Requests
Students have also become aware of the Freedom of Information Act and use it to get information and questionnaires completed for their research. Fylde Borough Council has always responded to surveys and research requests from students before the FOIA came into force, so this has not added a great deal of extra to the work load but the request now has to be formally registered.
Service Requests
Service requests have been popular in areas such as business rates, the Council's IT services and licensing. The new licensing regime brought about requests for details of the new service and applications. In response to this the licensing team have published regular updates of the license application's being processed and full details of all the procedures and policy in place at Fylde. This information can be accessed using the link on the right of this page.
Most requests for information on planning application's have been refused because the information is already publicly available. All planning files are public information and can be viewed on request, they do not fall within the FOIA. If you want to see details of any submitted application then you simply need to contact our planning team or search the on line facility that is being introduced on this website. Other requests have asked for information that is already published such as performance targets that are in the Best Value Performance Plan and reported regularly to committee, accounts that are published each year and committee reports all of which are on this website and can be obtained on request.
The other common error made is that people have written to Fylde to ask for information about services that are delivered by the County Council. Only 12% of council tax is spent by Fylde Borough Council and by using the A to Z of services link at the top of this page you can find out what we do for you.
FOI Statistics:
During the period 1 April 2011 to 30 March 2011, Fylde Borough Council received 332 requests under the Freedom of Information Act. 46 requests were been replied to on the same working day on which they were received and a further 61 on the next working day. Overall, 55% of the requests were answered within the first 5 working days.
31% of the requests came from private individuals, 19% from commercial organisations and 14% from the press. 6% did not tell us why they were asking - and they don't have to.
