Issue - meetings

Requests for Information

Meeting: 02/11/2021 - Executive (Item 106)

106 Requests for Information pdf icon PDF 266 KB

To consider the report of the Chief Executive & Growth Director.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Agreed:

 

RECOMMENDED that Council note the report.

 

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

 

 

 

Minutes:

The Executive received the report which provided an update on the available options for accessing Council held information, including the use of the Freedom of Information Act. The report provided a summary of the number and type of information requests received by the Council over the last three years, and how the requests were managed and their resource implications.

 

Councillor D. Moore, as an opposition leader, enquired on whether the Council would consider publishing Freedom of Information requests on the Council website, in a similar way to Devon County Council.

 

The Corporate Manager Executive Support explained that, although it was possible to publish a register of information requests, there would need to be a justification and evidence supporting a demand for a public register. Each information request required a tailored response, so the Council would have to address the benefit of publishing each request against available resources.

 

The Leader noted that the report had been brought to Members to raise awareness of the number of requests received, and their respective cost and resource implications.

 

Members welcomed the report and noted that there had been an increase in the number of Freedom of Information requests received and further noted that details reported in Council papers and minutes were already of a high transparency level. Residents could also contact Councillors, which could help alleviate the number of requests received and support officer time and resources.

 

RECOMMENDED that Council note the report.