Your Right to Know
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives you the right to access recorded information held by Ynysybwl & Coed-y-Cwm Community Council. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible about how we spend public money and make decisions that affect our community.
Before You Make a Request
We may have already published the information you are looking for. Please check our Publication Scheme for:
- Council Meeting Minutes and Agendas
- Annual Financial Accounts and Audit Reports
- Policies and Procedures
How to Make a Valid Request
To help us process your request quickly, the law requires that your request must:
- Be in writing (Email, Letter, or Social Media).
- Include your real name (e.g., “John Smith” rather than “@LocalResident”).
- Provide a contact address (An email address is perfectly fine).
- Describe the information clearly.
Our Preferred Contact: To ensure your request is logged and handled immediately, we recommend emailing the Clerk directly at clerk@ynysybwlcc.gov.uk.
What Happens Next?
- Acknowledgement: We will confirm we have received your request.
- Timeline: We have 20 working days to respond. If the request is complex, we will let you know.
- Format: We will usually provide the information electronically via PDF or Excel unless you request otherwise.
Are There Limits?
The Act covers recorded information (documents, emails, and data). It does not require the Council to:
- Create new information or “generate” a report that doesn’t exist.
- Give an opinion or “answer questions” if the answer isn’t already recorded in a document.
- Provide personal data about other people (this is protected under Data Protection law).
- Comply with requests that would cost an excessive amount of staff time to fulfil (over 18 hours of work).
If You Are Not Happy
If you are dissatisfied with our response or how we handled your request, you have the right to ask for an Internal Review. If you remain unhappy after that, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.
