Finding contact details of public authorities

Using the authority's website

• if they use a contact form for enquiries try viewing the source code of the webpage to see if it contains an email address (you can use "ctrl" and "f" to search in the source code for "@").

Sample text for email or contact form

As per advice given by the Information Commissioner's Office: "All freedom of information requests must be in writing (this includes email)".

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/access_to_official_information.aspx

Please could you supply me with an email address to send FOI requests to.

Many thanks

By phone

Call the main switchboard for the authority, or call the FOI office if there is a phone number for that. Say you would like an email address to send Freedom of Information requests to. Sometimes you have to be a bit persistent - usually I play dumb, and they eventually give an address. If they seem stuck, worth asking if they have a general contact email that will be forwarded to the right place for FOI.

Source

• original phone guidance and sample text for email was taken from this Google spreadsheet now the text is here it will be removed from the spreadsheet