Our Duty to Provide Assistance

We are required to provide assistance to people who have made, or are thinking of making, a request.

We will help you to understand your rights under the act and identify the information you want.

Timescales

The council has 20 working days in which to respond to a request.

Charges

A fee may be payable.

Process

• We must inform you in writing.
• You have up to 3 months to pay the fee.
• The processing of your request is suspended until the fee is paid.
• Your request lapses after 3 months, if the fee is not paid.

There may be a charge for photocopying, postage, packaging etc. We will inform you if a change is payable.

Response

You (the requester) can:

• Ask for a copy of the information you seek.
• Get the chance to inspect the records.
• Be provided with a summary of the information.

If the information you request is exempt, we will inform you in writing.