Improving local authority publication schemes

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Improving Local Authority Publication Schemes

<<< Back to How publication schemes could be improved

In addition to the suggestions made by the IC, the following are topics that should be covered.

The subject headings used in the above ICO document will be used to help categorise the additional topics

Who we are and what we do

  • Relationships with other authorities to include any that fall within the boundaries of the FOIA
  • contact details for 100% subsidiary companies
  • details of any limited companies that the authority holds more than 5% shareholding in
  • details of any companies limited by guarantee that the authority is a member of
  • details of any overseas or offshore company that the authority has a voting interest or ownership share of.
  • Details of any private company that provides council services on behalf of the authority (eg waste, housing, education), including their website and email address

What we spend and how we spend it

  • publish the dates for annual inspection of accounts, and make as much information as possible for inspection online.
  • include in any register of expenses details of any travel booked centrally on behalf of the employee (eg at a corporate travel agent) which may not have been directly paid for and reclaimed by the employee

What our priorities are and how we are doing

How we make decisions

  • Agendas and timetable for future public meetings
  • Minutes published of meetings received from other bodies where the authority has a representation (eg community associations)
  • Internal justifications for decision-making following any public consultation process, especially where the consultation opinion differs from that of the authority.

Our policies and procedures

  • details of internal FOI, DPA, EIR and Internal Review policies & procedures
  • details of record retention policies
  • details of standards used in construction of street facilities, together with any risk assessments carried out prior to their installation

Lists and registers

  • FOI disclosure logs, including the information provided
  • details of all Section 108 improvements offered and their current status / plans
  • details of all (green) travel plans registered with the council as part of planning process
  • register of all CCTV cameras in the local authority area
  • text of all local bye-laws
  • details of all traffic regs orders (TROs)
  • details of all licenses issued by the authority - eg alcohol sales or street trading, including cost of license, expiry, details of licensee, details of any objections received, etc
  • history of compulsory purchases of property, or of demolition orders
  • tree preservation orders
  • number of people on waiting list for housing, details of how to get on, scoring system, etc
  • number of people on waiting list for allotments, average turnover of plots, number of plots available
  • lists of all "databases" that the authority holds, with details of their specifications (eg fields/tables)

Services provided by the council

  • detailed food hygiene inspection reports (not just the summary "scores on the doors" stars)
  • downloadable GIS datasets - make as much available possible, eg cycle parking/routes, green areas, locations of council services or buildings
  • downloadable datasets for any environmental monitoring carried out either by the council or on their behalf - eg radiation monitoring.