LBRO - Public Information

Public information

The right to know

To assist your understanding of what we do and how we spend public money, you have a general right of access to the information we hold, subject to certain exemptions. This was established by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which also requires us to state:

• the classes of information we publish;
• the manner in which they are available; and
• the charges that apply where information is not provided for free.

Under the model publication scheme developed by the Information Commissioner's Office, seven classes of information are specified in the definition document for non-departmental public bodies. This is applicable to LBRO.

Further details on your right of access, together with the various exemptions, can be found at www.ico.gov.uk.

PDF of Information Charter

Information categories

The classes specified in the definition document for non-departmental public bodies under the model publication scheme developed by the ICO are listed below:

1) Who we are and what we do
2) What we spend and how we spend it
3) What our priorities are and how we are doing
4) How we make decisions
5) Policies and procedures
6) Lists and registers
7) The services we offer

Making requests

Should you request information from us, you have the right to know:

• if we hold it;
• if it is available to you;
• if there is a cost involved; and
• how you can access it.

Applications under the FOI Act should be in writing and provide as much detail as possible to enable us to identify the information you seek. (It is worth checking at the outset that it is not readily available from another source.)

Please email your request to enquiries@lbro.org.uk or post it to FOI, LBRO, The Axis, 10 Holliday Street, Birmingham B1 1TG. We will respond within 20 working days of the date of receipt.

Complaints

Details on how to make a complaint are given in our complaints policy.

In relation to FOI complaints, for reasons such as the protection of confidentiality, your general right of access to information is subject to ‘absolute' and ‘qualified' exemptions. If one of the latter applies, our Director of Corporate Strategy and Board Support must assess whether disclosure is in the public interest.

Where your request for information is not met on this basis, you are entitled to ask us to review our decision. This will be done by a member of staff with no prior involvement. Such applications should be in writing.

Please email your request for an internal review to enquiries@lbro.org.uk or post it to FOI, LBRO, The Axis, 10 Holliday Street, Birmingham B1 1TG. We will respond within 20 working days of the date of receipt.

If our original decision is confirmed and you remain dissatisfied, you can seek an independent review by writing to The Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Fees

In the interests of transparency, and because our information is generally easy to access, it is provided free as standard. However, we do reserve the right to charge, at the set rate of £25 per hour (including the costs of staff time). The factors we will take into account when determining charges include the work required to:

• locate the information requested;
• retrieve it from a document or documents; and
• undertake related activity to this end.