There is some information that we cannot make publicly available without significantly disrupting the ability of the Authority to deliver services, breaching privacy or confidentiality agreements, or endangering public safety.
The Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations both have a list of exemptions that can be applied in these circumstances.
There are 23 exemptions and a full list can be supplied on request, or is available from the
Information Commissioner's office. Some of these do not apply to information held by a local authority.
Exempt information that we hold includes:
- information relating to current contract negotiations; and
- current investigation records whose release would affect our ability to enforce the law
Embarrassment to the Authority is not an exemption.
Some of the exemptions apply in all circumstances but for others, we have to consider whether it is more in the public interest to release the information than to withhold it.
If we do decide that an exemption applies we will tell you why, and where relevant, the public interest reasons for doing so. You can appeal against this decision and details of how to do this will be included in our response.