Access to Information

The Council is committed to pro-actively publish information to encourage an understanding of the way it carries out its public duties. There are already many ways to find out about information held by the Council - particularly information about when and how decisions are taken and documents that control how the Council operates. Other information that is available is shown in our Publication Scheme.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came fully into effect in January 2005 and gives individuals the right to access information held by public bodies. The Act is part of the Government’s commitment to greater openness and transparency in the public sector and is going to have a major impact on the way public bodies manage their information. New rights under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR’s) also came into effect at the same time. These relate to any information that relates to the environment, including the elements such as air, water, soil, land and factors such as noise, emissions, discharges etc. The Data Protection Act 1998 will continue to control access to personal information relating to living individuals, in certain circumstances.

Information not published on our web-site may be obtained by writing to The Information Management Team, Legal Services, County Hall, High Street, Newport, IW PO30 1UD, or calling 01983 821000, or e-mail information@iow.gov.uk. The Council will endeavour to deal with any request for information promptly, at least within 20 working days. In some instances, the information requested may not be suitable for release, as there are some exemptions identified in the legislation.