If we have already published the information you want, it will be listed in our Publication Scheme, and available on our website. Checking the Scheme before you make a request may save you time.

We recommend checking our previously answered Freedom of Information requests before submitting your own.

Our officers will be able to identify requests under Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), so you don't need to specify which legislation your request is under.

You must include an address (e-mail or postal) so that we can correspond with you further.

If you have a specific requirement regarding the format of the information, please let us know. Where reasonable, we will supply the information in the format you request.

We receive most requests by email. Emailed requests should be sent to FOI@southsomerset.gov.uk.

You may also write to the Strategy & Commissioning team:

Strategy & Commissioning, SSDC Central Offices, Brympton Way, BA20 2HT

Typically, requests must be answered within 20 working days of receipt, (where the first working day after receipt is the first day to count toward the deadline); but deadlines may be extended in the following circumstances:

• The request is under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and a 'public interest test' is being conducted; or
• The request is under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and the request is complex and involves lots of information.

In any case, the responsible officer will inform you why a deadline is being extended, and by how long (this will be 20 days except in very unusual circumstances).

Your request will be assigned a responsible officer, and this officer will communicate with you on behalf of the Council about all issues relating to your request, until the request is closed or transferred.

Requests (or in some cases, certain parts of requests) may be transferred to another officer who will then become the responsible officer. If this is the case, you will be notified.

If it is clear that your request is outside the scope of the legislation, we will explain why.

If your request is entirely unclear, we will ask you to clarify it; the deadline will be reset when clarification is received.

If all the information you have requested has already been published, we will notify you and direct you to the published information.

Otherwise, we will acknowledge receipt of your request if you ask us to, or if it would otherwise be reasonable to do so, including in the following circumstances:

• When any part of your request is unclear. In which case we will also ask you to clarify, and the deadline for compliance (for only the unclear part of the request) will be reset when clarification is received.
• When any part of the requested information has already been published. In which case we will also direct you to the published information.

We may refuse to disclose some of the requested information, or refuse to confirm or deny that it is held. In either case, we will explain why the information is exempt and if applicable, why disclosure was not considered to be in the public interest. An introduction to the commonly exempt types of information is provided in the Information We Won't Disclose section.

If the information is to be communicated, we may issue a charge, which will be calculated in accordance with the Applicable Fees and Charges Section. Other issues relating to charges are also considered in that Section.

Whenever reasonable, we will disclose requested information in electronic, editable formats, and we will use a format and file type you request when reasonable.

If you would prefer, or if it is necessity, documents may be made available for inspection in person; in such cases we will make arrangements for this to happen as soon as possible.

We will tell you when we consider your request to be answered, and will provide information about avenues of redress if you are not satisfied with the management of your request.

The Council has adopted the Model Publication Scheme for local authorities, as recommended by the Information Commissioner's Office. A summary of the information we publish under each class defined by the model scheme is available here.

Environmental information held by the Council is under the scope of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR). 'Environmental information' means any information on:

a)     the state of the elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, etc, and the interaction among these elements;

b)     factors, such as substances, energy, noise, radiation, waste, etc, likely to affect the elements of the environment in (a);

c)     measures (including administrative measures), such as policies, plans, etc, and activities likely to affect the elements and factors in (a) and (b) as well as measures or activities designed to protect those elements;

d)     reports on the implementation of environmental legislation;

e)     economic analyses and assumptions related to the measures and activities in (c); and

f)     the state of human health and safety, inasmuch as it may be affected by the state of the elements of the environment in (a) or, through those elements, by any of the matters in (b) and (c).

Broadly speaking, the EIR apply to information under a greater range of circumstances and provide fewer circumstances under which requests can be refused.

We will tell you whether your request is being dealt with under the FOIA or the EIR; this may affect the management of the request in the following ways:

• Whilst both legislations include in their scope information held on the Council's behalf by third parties, the EIR may also include information held by the Council on behalf of third parties.
• Requests under the FOIA can be refused if they are 'repeated', 'vexatious' or 'excessively costly', but requests under the EIR can be refused if they are 'manifestly unreasonable', which can be thought of as a combination of these criteria (repetitiveness, vexatiousness, and costliness).
• Requested information under the EIR can only be withheld if it is exempt and if withholding it is in the public interest. On the other hand, some exemptions under the FOIA are 'absolute', meaning that the information caught by them can be withheld without considering whether doing so is in the public interest.
• The ordinary deadline (of 20 working days) to answer a request under the EIR can be extended by 20 additional working days if the request is complex includes a lot of information.
• Fees charged under the EIR may include the costs of staff time spent dealing with the request. Staff time may not be charged under the FOIA, except in extraordinary circumstances.
• Fees for EIR requests can be paid via card. Call us on 01935 462462 to make a payment to our Environmental Health team. 

Exemptions from disclosure are set out in Part II of the FOIA and Section 12 of the EIR. Detailed guidance on all exemptions under the FOIA and under the EIR is provided by the Information Commissioner's Office. The most common reasons that the Council will withhold information are introduced below.

Personal data about any person is unlikely to be disclosable under an FOIA or EIR request. If you would like to request personal data about yourself you must submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) 

(Non-environmental) information which is 'reasonably accessible' by other means may be exempt under the FOIA.

A request under the FOIA may be refused entirely if:

• It would cost the Council over £450 to comply with it, where staff time is calculated at £25 per hour (an excessively costly request);
• It is identical or substantially similar to a previous request from the same applicant (a repeated request); or
• The purpose and value of the request (to any section of the public) is insufficient to justify the distress, disruption or irritation that would be incurred by complying with it (a vexatious request).

A request for environmental information may be refused if its purpose and value (to any section of the public) is insufficient to justify the distress, disruption, irritation or cost that would be incurred by complying with it (a manifestly unreasonable request).

Other information may be exempt or excepted if it is confidential, or its disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of any person.

If you believe that any part of your request was not answered by the responsible officer (by refusal, denial or disclosure) you should notify them. If the officer agrees with your judgement they will amend the problem; if they disagree they will advise you to appeal to the Information Commissioner's Officer (ICO).

You should complain whenever you are dissatisfied about how we are performing our freedom of information, transparency, or re-use of public sector information, duties. 

You can call the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113, or visit their website for more information on how to make contact.