Freedom of Information
2. Freedom of Information
The laws that give you the right to access information held by public bodies like us are:
Freedom of Information (FOI) Act
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities.
It does this in two ways:
- Public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities; and
- Members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.
The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland.
Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings.
The Act does not give you access to your own personal data (information about yourself) such as your health records or credit reference file. If you want to see information that Cherwell District Council holds about you, you should make a data protection subject access request.
Environmental Information Regulations (EIR)
The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 are similar to the Freedom of Information Act but are limited specifically to information regarding the environment.
- The EIR grant a right for any person to request access to environmental information held by public authorities and for public authorities to take steps to proactively make environmental information available to the public.
- The EIR interpret 'environmental information' widely, with the scope to include information such as health and safety policies or details about recycling.
We may charge you a fee for providing the information. If we need to charge you for the information, we will tell you first so that you can choose whether to proceed or not.
EIR Privacy Notice contact address: informationgovernance@cherwell-dc.gov.uk
We maintain a searchable Disclosure Log containing responses to previous Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests. Many of the questions we receive are asked regularly, so the information you need may already be available.
To get the most accurate results, please use the search function and include as much detail as possible, such as specific dates, time periods, topics, or service areas. Refining your search will help you quickly identify the most relevant information.
*The disclosure log went live in March 2026, so it currently contains only a limited number of responses. Over time, the library will become more comprehensive, but it should always be your first point of reference before submitting a new request.
If, after searching the Disclosure Log, you still cannot find the information you are looking for, you can make an information request by filling in our online form. Please be as specific as you can, to assist us in finding the information you require.