Transparency Code

The Transparency Code for smaller authorities was introduced by central government in 2015 to ensure that all Councils with an annual turnover of up to £25,000 make public a raft of information about their financial dealings and governance.

The Parish Council is required to publish:

  1. all items of expenditure above £100;
  2. end of year accounts,
  3. annual governance statement,
  4. internal audit report,
  5. list of councillor or member responsibilities,
  6. details of public land and building assets, and
  7. minutes, agendas and meeting papers of formal meetings.

This information is updated in accordance with the guidelines and can be found in the agendas and minutes, funding and accounts and governance sections of this website.

More information on the transparency code for smaller authorities can be found here

Freedom of Information

About the Act

The Freedom of Information act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, including Parish Councils.  Individuals already have the right of access to information about themselves under, for example the Data Protection Act 1998.  The Freedom of Information Act 2000 extends this right to allow public access to all types of information held.  For further information visit the Information Commissioner website.

How to make a request

Before making a request for information please check the Council’s Publication Scheme to make sure that the information to require is not already available.  If the information is already available we will not provide this again under the Freedom of Information Act.  Requests for information not available can be submitted via FIO request form or in writing to the Parish Clerk.  You will need to provide a contact name, a contact address and your request (which must be specific).

We will respond within 20 working days.  Please do not contact us during this period, unless you have further information to add to your request.

Charges

We will usually provide the information requested free of charge.  However, where a charge is made you will be notified of the amount payable prior to us providing the information.

Publication Scheme:

This publication scheme commits an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The information covered is included in the classes of information mentioned below, where this information is held by the authority. Additional assistance is provided to the definition of these classes in sector specific guidance manuals issued by the Information Commissioner. The scheme commits an authority:

  • To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information, including environmental information, which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
  • To specify the information which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
  • To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information in line with the statements contained within this scheme.
  • To produce and publish the methods by which the specific information is made routinely available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public.
  • To review and update on a regular basis the information the authority makes available under this scheme.
  • To produce a schedule of any fees charged for access to information which is made proactively available.
  • To make this publication scheme available to the public.
  • To publish any dataset held by the authority that has been requested, and any updated versions it holds, unless the authority is satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so; to publish the dataset, where reasonably practicable, in an electronic form that is capable of re-use; and, if any information in the dataset is a relevant copyright work and the public authority is the only owner, to make the information available for re-use under the terms of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, if they apply, and otherwise under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act section 19. The term ‘dataset’ is defined in section 11(5) of the Freedom of Information Act. The term ‘relevant copyright work’ is defined in section 19(8) of that Act.

Who we are and what we do

Your Parish Council

Parish Councillors

Meeting dates

What we spend and how we spend it

Funding and Accounts

How we make decisions and what our priorities are

Agendas and Minutes

Governance

Our policies and procedures

Governance

Funding and Accounts

Lists and Registers

Register of Interests

 

The classes of information will not generally include:

  • Information the disclosure of which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure.
  • Information in draft form.
  • Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

This publication scheme was adopted by full council on: 13th July 2020