The second stage of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force on 1 January 2005. It means that members of the public have the right to know what information is held by the council, and to have access to it, unless it is covered by an exemption (for example personal information or commercially sensitive information).
We now have to consider any request for information, including commercial information given to us during a tender (once the contract has been awarded).
Normally any request for information would be discussed with the relevant contractor first, as long as we have an up-to-date contact for them.
Information marked confidential by a contractor (for example in a tender document) may still not be exempted from being disclosed under the Act.
Download a more detailed explanation in a letter to contractors [MS Word 499 kb] that was sent out in January 2005.
Go to Frequently Asked Questions on the FOI Act.
For more information on the Freedom of Information Act, the council's policy and Publications scheme, please go to the Freedom of Information page in this website.