The Freedom of Information Act gives everyone the right to access information held by public authorities, of which Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is one.
If you are unable to find the information you require under our Publication Scheme, The Freedom of Information Act gives you the right make a direct request for the information.
Any person making a request has the right to be informed in writing by the Council as to whether it holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case to have that information communicated.
Your request must:
- Be in writing - fax and email are acceptable
- State the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
- Describe the information required
If your request is not specific and we are unable to find the information requested, we will have to write to you requesting further information. Please therefore help us to find the information requested the first time by being clear and precise.
Please send any Freedom of Information requests to the Freedom of Information team by email or you can send your request to:
FOI Officer
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
Information Governance Team
Resources Directorate
Redcar & Cleveland House
Kirkleatham Street
Redcar
TS10 1RT
Or you can contact the FOI team by email.
Our aim is to provide reasonable assistance to you to make a request. We must supply the information to you within 20 working days, but we will provide it sooner if this is possible.
Remember, you only have a right to information and not necessarily to documents. Some documents may include exempt information so you will only get the information from them that is not exempt.
Review Procedure
If you are not happy with the response provided for your Freedom of Information request, you can ask for an internal review within 40 days of receiving the response.
Internal reviews will be carried out by a Senior Legal Manager, who will not have been involved in your initial request. A response will be provided within 20 working days of your request for a review (or 40 working days in exceptional circumstances).
To request an internal review, please email InformationGovernance@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk or write to:
FOI Officer
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
Information Governance Team
Resources Directorate
Redcar & Cleveland House
Kirkleatham Street
Redcar
TS10 1RT
If you are unhappy following your internal review outcome, you are free to make a complaint either to the Council or to the Information Commissioner.
Details of the Council’s corporate complaints procedure can be found on our website at
Corporate complaints and feedback | Redcar and Cleveland (redcar-cleveland.gov.uk)
The Information Commissioner is an independent person who has responsibility for overseeing the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. More details can be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office website at: www.ico.org.uk
If you are escalating your complaint to the ICO please visit their website at www.ico.org.uk/foicomplaints
The Information Commissioner
Further information about The Freedom of Information Act is available from:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Or by visiting the ICO website.
Fees and Charges Structure
The fee threshold is £450. No fee can be levied for requests that are estimated to cost £450 or less, although a charge can be made for postage, photocopying and printing costs, if they exceed £5.
If the estimated fee exceeds the £450 limit, the request can be refused or the applicant asked to pay the additional fee. If a fee is particularly high the applicant will be contacted to find out whether or not he/she wishes to modify the request to reduce the cost.