Who can make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request?
Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("the Act") and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 ("EIR"), absolutely anyone may make a Freedom of Information request. There is no age limit, and you do not need to be a resident of the local region, or even of the UK. You do not need to go through a solicitor or other third party, although you are welcome to if you wish. Commercial companies, pressure groups, other Public Authorities and Law firms all also have equal rights under the Act and EIRs.
Environmental Information
- Cornwall Housing will treat any request for environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 ("EIR"). The EIRs are very similar to the Act in that Cornwall Housing is obliged to respond to requests for information within twenty working days in most cases, and proactively publish environmental information.
- Information about your rights under the Act and EIRs can be found on the website of the Information Commissioners Office.
- There may be a small number of instances where certain environmental related information may attract a charge. You will be informed if this is the case and details can be found in the Council’s EIR Fees and Charges Policy.
- For more information about Cornwall Housing’s policy for ensuring compliance with the Act and EIRs, please refer to the Council's Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 Policy.
Our Publication Scheme
- The Publication Scheme commits us to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The Publication scheme covers various classes of information, lists the documents available and whether a charge will be made for the information. Documents available under the Publication scheme may come in a variety of formats, for example, reports, leaflets, web pages or databases.
- The purpose of the Scheme is to ensure a significant amount of information is available without the need to make a specific request for it. Cornwall Housing's objective is to publish basic information routinely and to specifically publish information where there is clearly a public interest. We believe that this will enhance the existing opportunities to gain access to our information.
- If the information you want is not currently listed, if you found the Scheme easy or difficult to use, or if you have any other suggestions, we need to know so that we can improve our service to you. You are welcome to send the form anonymously if you prefer.
FOI Quarterly Statistics
- Public authorities are encouraged to publish statistics on their performance of handling requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).
- Cornwall Housing’s published data is based on the number of FOI responses that were due within the relevant quarter and therefore shows the percentage that met the 20 working day target.
FOI Disclosure Log
- Our Disclosure Log (alternatively called Freedom of Information Responses) publishes responses to Freedom of Information requests and focuses on issues of high public interest and where we receive, recurring requests for information on a particular topic. The log is updated regularly.
Cornwall Housing spending and budgets
- Information on council spending, budgets and contracts, which includes information about Cornwall Housing, can be found on the Council’s transparency pages.
Requesting information from Cornwall Housing
- If the information you require is not in the Publication Scheme (available on the FOI Disclosure Log or Transparency pages) then you can make a Freedom of Information Request.
- Requests under the Freedom of Information Act must be submitted in writing, but may be hand-written, typed or sent as an email.
- Requests under the Environmental Information Regulations can be submitted verbally, although we do encourage written requests under this legislation to ensure that we have as much detail as possible in order to search for and provide the information you have asked for.
- For more information please see how to make a Freedom of Information request.
Requesting information about yourself
- Individuals already have a right of access to information about themselves under the Data Protection Act 2018. If the information you require falls into this category, you need to apply in a slightly different way as different rules and regulations apply. For more information please see Data Protection.
