Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives you a general right of access to recorded information held by public authorities, including Herefordshire Council. Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, audio and video recordings.
Upton Bishop Parish Council has two main responsibilities under the legislation:
- We must produce a publication scheme, approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office. This is a guide to the information we publish as a matter of routine. The scheme is intended to make sure that a wide range of information is easily available without the need to make a specific request for it
- We must deal with individual requests for information. This is known as the ‘right to ask’. Any person or body, including companies, resident in or outside the UK, has the right to ask whether the council holds the particular information in question
Before you make a request
You may not need to make a request to obtain the information you need, as it may already be publicly available on our website.
Check our disclosure log
A response to an FOI or EIR request may have already been published by the council to our disclosure log
Check our website
Information may have also been published on the relevant sections of this website. Before submitting a request please check to see whether the information has already been published. The publication scheme, which sets out the information published as a matter of routine, may help you with this.
Can I request my own personal information?
No, if you want your own information, you are entitled to it under the subject access provisions of the data protection legislation rather than FOI.
Request information under FOI
Requests for information under the FOI Act must:
- Be in writing (including our online form, email or letter)
- Have a name and address to respond to
- Outline enough information for the council to clearly understand what information is being asked for. If your request is not clear to us we will contact you to clarify what you are seeking access to.
What happens next?
The legislation allows us up to 20 working days to respond to your request but we will answer as soon as we can.
Request review procedure
If you are dissatisfied with your response to a request for information, you can ask for a review of the response from someone not previously involved with the request.
Disclosure Log
Anonymised responses to requests may be published on the council’s disclosure log. Any responses which are published will remain on the log for up to three years.
Model Publication Scheme
Information available from Upton Bishop Parish Council under the model publication scheme.
Upton Bishop has adopted the Model Publication Scheme below.
| Information to be published | How the information can be obtained | Cost |
| Class1 – Who we are and what we do
(Organisational information, structures, locations and contacts) |
Available on Upton Bishop Website | free |
| Who’s who on the Council and its Committees | Available on Upton Bishop Website | free |
| Contact details for Parish Clerk and Council members (named contacts where possible with telephone number and email address (if used)) | Available on Upton Bishop Website | free |
| Location of main Council office and accessibility details | Not applicable as there is no office | |
| Staffing structure | Not applicable as there are no staff except the part time clerk | |
| Class 2 – What we spend and how we spend it
(Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit) |
Hard copy/Website | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Annual return form and report by auditor | Hard Copy/Website | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Finalised budget | Website | Free |
| Precept | Website | Free |
| Borrowing Approval letter | Not applicable as the Council does not borrow | |
| Financial Standing Orders and Regulations | Not applicable | |
| Grants given and received | Website | |
| List of current contracts awarded and value of contract | Website | |
| Members allowances and expenses | Not applicable there are no members allowances or expenses | |
| Class 3 – What our priorities are and how we are doing
(Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews) |
Parish Plan Hard Copy | Free while stocks last |
| Parish Plan | Hard Copy available from the Clerk | Free while stocks last |
| Annual Report to Parish or Community Meeting (current and previous year as a minimum) | Hard copy/website | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Quality status | Not applicable as UBPC has not applied to become a Quality Council | |
| Local charters drawn up in accordance with DCLG guidelines | Not applicable | |
| Neighbourhood Development Plan | Available on the website | Free |
| Class 4 – How we make decisions
(Decision making processes and records of decisions) |
Details of our decision making processes and the record of our decisions are contained in the Council Meeting Minutes which are on the website. | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Timetable of meetings (Council, any committee/sub-committee meetings and parish meetings) | Website | Free |
| Agendas of meetings (as above) | Website
Parish Noticeboards |
Free |
| Minutes of meetings (as above) nb this will exclude information that is properly regarded as private to the meeting. | Hard copy/Website | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Reports presented to council meetings – nb this will exclude information that is properly regarded as private to the meeting. | Hard copy/website | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Responses to consultation papers | Information on all our responses is recorded in the minutes | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Responses to planning applications | Information on all our responses is recorded in the minutes | £1 per page or free from the website |
| Bye-laws | Not applicable as the Parish Council has no bye laws | |
| Class 5 – Our Policies and Procedures
(Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities. |
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| Policies and Procedures for the conduct of Council business:
Procedural Standing Orders Committee and Sub Committee Terms of Reference Delegated Authority in respect of officers Code of Conduct Policy Statements |
These are all available on the website | Free |
| Policies and procedures for the provision of services and about the employment of staff:
Internal policies relating to the delivery of services Equality and diversity policy Health and safety policy Recruitment policies (including current vacancies) Policies and procedures for handling requests for information Complaints procedures (including those covering requests for information and operating the publication scheme) |
These are all available on the website | Free |
| Information security policy | Website | Free |
| Records management policies (records retention, destruction and archive) | Website | Free |
| Data protection policies | Website | Free |
| Schedule of charges (for the publication of information) | Most information is available free of charge on the website. £1 per page for photocopies if required. | |
| Class 6 – Lists and Registers
Currently maintained lists and registers only |
Hard copy or website. Some information may only be available for inspection | |
| Any publicly available register or list (if any are held this should be publicised: in most circumstances existing access provisions will suffice) | Not applicable | |
| Assets Register | Upton Bishop is responsible for:
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| Disclosure log (indicating the information that has been provided in response to requests; recommended as good practice, but may not be held by parish councils) | Not applicable | |
| Register of Members’ interests | Hard copy available from the clerk | £1 per page |
| Register of gifts and hospitality | Hard copy available from the clerk. To date no councillor has received any gifts or hospitality which needs to be disclosed on the public register. | £1 per page |
| Class 7 – The Services we offer
(information about the services we offer including leaflets, guidance and newsletters produced for the public and businesses) |
Website | |
| Allotments | Website | |
| Burial grounds and closed churchyards | Not applicable as we are not responsible for any burial grounds or closed churchyards | |
| Community centres and village halls | Not applicable as we are not responsible for any community centres or the Millennium Hall | |
| TYPE OF CHARGE | DESCRIPTION | BASIS OF CHARGE |
| Disbursement cost | Photocopying @ £1 per sheet (black and white) | Actual cost* |
| Photocopying @ £1 per sheet (colour) | Actual cost | |
| Postage | Actual cost of Royal Mail second class postage | |
| Statutory Fee | In accordance with legislation | |
| Other |
* the actual cost incurred by the public authority