Information and support for Whelford residents: Find details of the support available, key contact numbers and links to the latest information from the council, emergency services and partner organisations - Support for communities - Cotswold District Council
Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations
Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) provide a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by the Council, subject to certain exemptions.
Most information about our organisation can be found on our website. Please look at our publication scheme to see the range of information we already publish before making a request
It promotes openness and accountability among public sector organisations, so that everyone can understand how authorities make decisions, carry out their duties and spend public money. You can find all published data here Council data and access to information - Cotswold District Council
Local Government Transparency Code
The Council must comply with the Local Government Transparency Code set out by the Government, which lists categories of information which allow scrutiny of spend and performance, information we feel supports the principles of the code is published on our Council data and access to information - Cotswold District Council
Please be advised that the District Council is not responsible for:
Social Care
Children's Services
Schools & Education
Occupational Therapy
Maintenance of Roads, Pavements and Verges (Highways)
We are receiving an increasing number of requests and Internal Review requests that are drafted using generative AI tools. The following advice and guidance in the use of AI for information requests comes from the Information Commissioner’s Office, the regulator for FOIA and EIR in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. has been produced by the ICO:
Using AI to help draft information requests?
AI tools can be helpful, but they can also introduce errors or create overly complex requests that increase the burden on public bodies and cost to the taxpayer.
When using AI to help draft an information request, please make sure the final wording has been checked and reflects your actual information needs.
Before you submit a request or secondary correspondence, please check that:
You are only asking for the information you are genuinely looking for. AI tools sometimes generate broad or excessive wording that goes beyond the information you actually want or need;
The request is clear, concise and focused Short, straightforward requests are easier for us to process and usually lead to quicker, more accurate responses;
There are no obvious factual inaccuracies. AI can misrepresent legislation or misstate what organisations do. Please review the text of your request carefully and don’t assume AI is right. If it has referred to something you don’t understand, check what it is; and
The tone is appropriate. AI-generated content can sometimes sound abrupt, or otherwise inappropriate. Please check the tone before sending.
Why does this matter? We are seeing an increase in requests and secondary correspondence that appear to have been drafted by generative AI. These can require additional clarification because of inaccuracies or unnecessary complexity. This creates delays for both requesters and our teams.
What about personal information? You cannot use an FOI or EIR request to ask what information we hold about you. Asking for a copy of your personal information is called a subject access request. Please refer to Data protection - Cotswold District Council
How do I make a request:
Before submitting a request, please check whether the information is already publicly available through our Publication Scheme, open data pages or committee papers Council data and access to information - Cotswold District Council. This may provide the information immediately without the need to make a formal request.
Writing or visitingCotswold District Council main offices at Trinity Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1PX
Phoning the main switchboard: 01285 623000 - Available from 9am to 2pm Monday to Friday.
There is no need to explain why you are requesting the information, however the more detail you can provide, the less likely we are to come back to you for clarification.
RELATED INFORMATION:
Freedom of Information Performance Statistics 2025/26
Frequently Asked Questions
We will acknowledge your request and provide you with a deadline for a response.
If we need more details from you to identify the information you are looking for, we will contact you as soon as possible.
We are required to respond by providing the information within 20 working days, unless there is a valid reason why this is not possible such as an Exemption.
Our response will include confirmation of whether or not we hold the information you have requested. Wherever possible, we will provide the requested information. Sometimes sections will be redacted from the information supplied to you, for example personal information about individuals. We will explain the reasons for the redactions in our response.
Please note the supply of information under FOI or EIR does not constitute permission for its use in a way that would infringe copyright and you should obtain permission from the copyright holder before considering any such use.
In some circumstances a request may be refused. If this is the case, a Refusal Notice will be issued to you explaining why we are not releasing the information.
If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has responded to your request for information, you may complain and request an internal review.
An internal review can investigate complaints about procedure, for example delays in response times, and complaints about the response itself, for example if you believe we have wrongly withheld information.
Please note that complaints about the handling of a request for information under Freedom of Information or EIR must be submitted within 40 working days of the Council’s response.
A request for an internal review should be made in writing to the Monitoring Officer, Cotswold District Council, Trinity Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 1PX or email [email protected]. Please give us as much information as possible about the reasons for requesting an internal review.
Internal reviews of requests made under Freedom of Information will normally be conducted within 20 working days from receipt of the review request. Occasionally, a review will take longer than 20 days in which case we will write and provide you with a revised timeframe and explain the reasons for the delay.
Internal reviews of requests made under Environmental Information Regulations will normally be conducted within 40 working days from receipt of the review request.
If you are not content with the outcome of your review, you may apply directly to the Information Commission for a decision FOI and EIR complaints | ICO. Please note that the IC cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the review procedure provided by the Council.
In accordance with the Act, we do not charge for processing requests under the Freedom of Information Act, providing that the cost of processing does not exceed the statutory limit of £450. This allows for 18 hours (two and-a-half days) of time at a rate of £25 per hour. When estimating how long it will take to process a request we take into account the time it will takes us to locate, retrieve and extract the information requested.
We reserve the right to refuse a request where the estimated cost of processing exceeds £450. However, before refusing a request on this basis, we will always work with you to look at other ways of providing the information so that your request does not exceed the statutory limit. If a fee is required, we will write to you explaining why.
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act exemptions
The FOI Act enables people to request specific information held by public bodies, but there are also a number of cases where information may not be disclosed which are called exemptions. The two main types of exemptions that apply to information held by Cotswold District Council are:
Qualified exemptions
These are where information must be disclosed unless it can be argued that the public interest in withholding it is greater than the public interest in releasing it. This applies to:
Information intended for future publication
Investigations and proceedings conducted by us
Law enforcement
Health and safety
Environmental information
Legal professional privilege
Commercial interests
Where disclosure would be prejudicial to the effective conduct of the Councils affairs.
Absolute exemptions
These are where the information will not be disclosed, including:
Information accessible to the applicant by other means
Court records and other similar documentation
Personal information
Information provided in confidence by a third party where disclosure would give rise to an actionable breach of confidence.
Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) exceptions
Information can be withheld if it would adversely affect any of the matters below, though most of these are subject to a Public Interest Test to assess whether the public interest in withholding it is greater than the public interest in releasing it:
International relations
Defence and national security
Public safety
The course of justice, including court proceedings within a public authority
Intellectual property rights
Legal confidentiality of any proceedings within a public authority
Commercial confidentiality designed to protect legitimate economic interests
Voluntarily supplied information from people who have not consented to its disclosure
The environment to which the information relates.
Other exceptions (some of which are also subject to a Public Interest Test) include:
Requests that are manifestly unreasonable or too general
Incomplete or unfinished information such as draft reports or other work in progress
Internal communications from within the authority
Personal data
Public interest test
Generally, the public interest is served when the disclosure of information would:
Further the understanding of, and the participation in, the debate of issues of the day
Facilitate the accountability and transparency of our decisions
Facilitate accountability and transparency in our spending of public money
Allow individuals to understand decisions made by us that affect their lives and, in some cases, assist individuals in challenging those decisions
Bring to light information affecting public safety.
However, we may withhold information where we think that the public interest will not be served, for instance where we believe that release will discourage openness in expression of opinions.
