The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives the public the right to request access to information we hold. The Act aims to make public sector bodies more open and accountable, and to help people understand better how public authorities carry out their duties, why they make the decisions they do and how they spend public money.

Why release a Freedom of Information Request Log?

As a council which is fully committed to being an accountable and transparent organisation, we are wholehearted advocates of the principles of openness which the Freedom of Information Act supports and encourages. As a transparent council we also constantly look to find new and innovative ways of using the tools at our disposal to enhance our accountability to our residents.

One way in which we are keen to do this is by enabling self-service and customer access to information, such as the Freedom of Information (FOI) request we receive. As such we are now releasing a log of all the FOI requests we have received since 1st April 2011. This is in an effort to develop the FOI process and make it more interactive for our customers.

How can the Request Log be used in the FOI process?

In time the Request Log will become the first port of call for a member of the public considering submitting an FOI request to us. Using the filter and search functions available in an Excel document, the public can explore the log and identify any recent requests similar in theme to those they are considering submitting. This will provide a more efficient FOI process for the public as it will decrease the necessity to submit fresh requests on subjects we routinely reply to.

If you have used the Request Log and would like to obtain the information sent in response to a listed request, please contact our Freedom of Information Team at FreedomofInformation@northamptonshire.gov.uk with reference number of the request you are interested in.

As part of our commitment to providing the data we release in an open and re-usable format, the FOI Request Catalogue is also available in CSV format.

Making a new Freedom of Information request

For more information on the Freedom of Information Act and process, please visit the Freedom of Information page:

• Freedom of Information