Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires all public authorities to adopt and maintain a publication scheme which has been approved by the Information Commissioner and to publish information in accordance with the scheme.

Communications

The Council has adopted the Information Commissioner's new model publication scheme. For a copy of the Council's Publication Scheme please click on the following link:

•  Exeter City Council's Publication Scheme [17kb]

The scheme commits the Council to:

• Proactively publish information that falls within the classes which is held by the Council
• Review and update on a regular basis the information covered by the scheme
• Produce a schedule of any fees charged for access to information (our Fees and Charges Book)
• Produce a guide to the information contained within each class (our website)

The Publication Scheme classifies information under the following seven classes:

• Who we are and what we do
• What we spend and how we spend it
• What our priorities are and how we are doing
• How we make decisions
• Our policies and procedures
• Lists and registers
• The services we offer

The Information Commissioner has produced a definition document which outlines the types of information they expect the Council to publish under the scheme. 

•  definition document [45kb] 

Information which is not covered by the scheme

• Information which is exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or if the disclosure is prevented by law 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.

Some information will be subject to copyright and therefore reproduction is restricted. The copyright may either be held by the Council or by other organisations, for example, most maps are copyrighted by the Ordnance Survey. If you would like further details on copyright issues, please contact the Communications Manager using the contact details on this page.

Accessing information

Where possible we have made the information available on the website, however, where this is impracticable then we will indicate how the information can be obtained and whether there is a charge for it. Details of the Council's fees and charges are available in the Fees & Charges Booklet. In addition, commercial use of documents may be charged for at a different rate.

The scheme will be reviewed regularly and as new information is produced it will be added to the website. The council will consider any requests not covered by the scheme and review whether it should be widened to include these.

If you are unable to find a copy of the information on the website or you would prefer a copy in another format, please either contact the service that produced the information or visit the Council in person at the Civic Centre or at one of our other sites, if more appropriate or convenient. If you are not sure which service produced the information or if you have any problems getting what you want, or have any questions or suggestions about the scheme, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer using the contact details on this page.