The Freedom of Information Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, including the Town Council. Further information on the Act is available from the Information Commissioner’s website.
How to make a request
Before making a request for information, please check the Town Council’s Freedom of Information Publication Scheme (which can be viewed on the Council Policies page) to make sure that the information you require is not already available. If the information is already on the Publication Scheme then the Town Council will not provide this again under the Freedom of Information Act. Requests for information not available through the Publication Scheme can be submitted in accordance with the Town Council’s Freedom of Information Requests Procedure (which can also be viewed on the Council Policies page).
The request should be submitted in writing to the Town Clerk, either by email to [email protected] or in writing at 37 Church Street, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 1HG. You will need to provide a contact name, contact address and your request (which MUST be specific).
A response will be given within 20 working days. Please do not contact the Town Council again during this period, unless you have further information to add to your request.
Charges
The Town Council will usually provide the information requested free of charge. However, where a charge is made you will be notified of the amount payable in writing prior to us providing the information.
Under the Freedom of Information Act there is an upper limit above which the Town Council does not have to provide information. This limit for local authorities is £450. The general guideline for working out whether or not a request may exceed this total is whether the amount of work involved in retrieving the information is likely to exceed 18 hours (2.5 working days).
The Town Council aims to advise the requester of the information that the request will cost more than £450 as early on in the process as possible so that they have the option to adjust their request to bring it under the £450 limit. As soon as the charge is determined a letter will be sent requesting that payment is made before the information can be sent. Information can also be provided on a cost recovery basis if the requester wishes. Where there is an existing charge for information these charges will still apply.
