Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act gives rights of access to information held by public authorities such as Newcastle City Council.

Anyone can ask for access to information the council holds, but there are rules under the Act that mean certain types of information may be exempt from being supplied.

A large amount of the information that we hold will be accessible elsewhere on this website.

What information can I get?

Unless it is exempt, you will be able to get any information that the City Council holds.

Publication Scheme

This publication scheme has been prepared by Newcastle City Council using the Information Commissioner’s FOI model publication scheme.

• this publication scheme commits Newcastle City Council to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. 
• the information covered by the scheme is included in the classes of information listed •    To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information, including environmental information, which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
• to specify the information which is held by the Council and falls within the classifications below.
• to proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information in line with the statements contained within this 
  scheme.
• to produce and publish the methods by which the specific information is made routinely available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public.
• to review and update on a regular basis the information the Council  makes available under this scheme.
• to produce a schedule of any fees charged for access to information which is made proactively available. 
• to make this publication scheme available to the public.
• to publish any dataset held by the authority that has been requested, and any updated versions it holds, unless the authority is satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so; to publish the dataset, where reasonably practicable, in an electronic form that is capable of re-use; and, if any information in the dataset is a relevant copyright work and the public authority is the only owner, to make the information available for re-use under the terms of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, if they apply, and otherwise under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act section 19. The term ‘dataset’ is defined in section 11(5) of the Freedom of Information Act. The term ‘relevant copyright work’ is defined in section 19(8) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1983 (as amended).

For the purposes of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Publication Scheme, much of the Council’s publicly accessible information is already available on the Newcastle City Council website. The website acts as the primary source for published information, providing access to a wide range of documents and resources, including policies, strategies, financial information, committee papers, performance reports, service information and other materials that the Council routinely makes available.

Classes of Information 
Who we are and what we do 
Organisational information, structures, locations and contacts.

What we spend and why we spend it 
Financial information about projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit.

What our priorities are and how we are doing
Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews.

How we make decisions
Decision making processes and records of decisions.

Our policies and procedures
Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities.

Lists and Registers
Current lists and registers held by the council

Services provided by the council
Information about the services the council provides including leaflets, guidance and newsletters.

The council is committed to providing a range of public information, but we can't disclose all information that we hold. This means that we only publish information that can be made available for public use.

In some circumstances, the Council is required to restrict access to information that it holds. Information may not be published where it is considered exempt from disclosure under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, or where disclosure would breach the Data Protection Act 2018.

We do not publish information where:

• the information relates to identifiable individuals (personal data), such as members of the public, customers, tenants, service users, or employees.
• the information has been provided to the Council in confidence, whether under an express or implied obligation of confidentiality
• disclosure of the information would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of the Council or another organisation.
• publication of the information would endanger the health, safety, or security of individuals, organisations, or property.
• disclosure is prohibited by law, a court order, or other statutory restriction, or the information relates to ongoing criminal or civil proceedings.
• publication of the information would be likely to prejudice the effective conduct of the Council's business or that of another organisation. This may include confidential briefings, details of ongoing negotiations, and draft plans, policies, or reports that are still under development, although draft documents may be published as part of a public consultation process where appropriate.
• the information is already available through public inspection arrangements, such as statutory public registers (for example, planning or licensing registers). In such cases, individuals should contact the relevant service area to make arrangements for access.

Archived Information

The Publication Scheme contains current information unless otherwise stated.
In certain circumstances, information that is no longer current may be retained for reference purposes. Examples include:

• previous policies and strategies.
• closed consultation documents.
• historic decision-making records and associated documents.

The availability of archived information is subject to the Council’s records retention and disposal policies.

Historical records

The Council does not hold historical records. Requests for historical records should be redirected to Tyne and Wear Archives service. Further information is available using the hyperlink below

https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/archives

Charges for Information

Much of the information available through the Publication Scheme can be accessed free of charge. However, the Council reserves the right to levy a reasonable charge for the provision of information in certain circumstances, including where hard copies, CD-ROMs, extensive printing or photocopying, or postal services are required.

Where appropriate, the Council may offer the opportunity to inspect information in person as an alternative to paying a charge for copies of the information. Any charges applied will be reasonable and reflect the cost of providing the requested material.

Information available by Inspection 

Some information is not published online but is available by public inspection, such as:

• planning registers
• licensing registers

If you wish to inspect information held by the Council, please contact the relevant Directorate, Team, or Service Area to make the necessary arrangements. Requests for inspection will be considered and facilitated where appropriate, subject to any applicable legal, operational, or access restrictions.

Copyright and Re-use of Information

Any information made available through the Publication Scheme, or disclosed in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, is protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, unless otherwise stated.

Information obtained through the Publication Scheme or provided in response to a freedom of information request, may be used for personal, non-commercial purposes, including private study, research, and news reporting, subject to compliance with any applicable copyright requirements.

Where information is to be re-used for commercial purposes, or otherwise published or reproduced beyond these permitted uses, prior permission must be obtained from the Council in accordance with the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations and any applicable licensing arrangements. 

Where the information contains third-party material that is protected by copyright, permission to re-use that material must be obtained directly from the relevant copyright holder(s). The Council cannot grant permission for the re-use of information where it does not own the copyright. 

Compliance statistics 2026/27

How do I request information under the Freedom of Information Act?

Your request must be made in writing (using our online form, by letter or by e-mail) and should contain:

• your name;
• your email or postal address
• a clear indication of the information you are interested in.

To request information we hold:

• email us
• write to Freedom of Information, Information Governance Team, Floor 6, Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH

Environmental Information Regulations Requests

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 give individuals right of access to environmental data held by councils and private organisations who carry out a public function, such as utility companies, rail network etc.

Examples of environmental records include:

• land use
• waste
• energy
• food contamination
• pest control
• pollution
• refuse
• dog patrol

EIR requests can also be made verbally, by email, by telephone or in writing at the address above.

Can I get personal information that the City Council holds on me?

Not under the Freedom of Information Act. Please visit our Data Protection page for information on how to access your personal information. This is known as a Subject Access Request. You can find out more about Subject Access Requests from the Information Commissioner's website.

Is there any information I cannot get?

You may not be able to get the information you request if it is exempt. You can find out more details about the exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act from the Information Commissioner's website.

If we decide that we cannot disclose the information you have requested, we will explain the reasons for our decision.

How much will it cost?

We will deal with most requests free of charge. However, if the request takes us more than 18 hours to satisfy, we may make a charge. We may also charge you for the cost of copying, printing, postage or translating the information where this is significant. We will tell you about any charges before we start work on your request. The same charges will apply to requests for environmental information.

How quickly will I get the information?

We are required to respond to FOI requests within 20 working days.
 

What can I do if I am not satisfied with the Council's decision on my request?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your request, you can make a complaint through the City Council's FOI internal review procedure. We will provide you with details of how to complain when we respond to your request.

Internal reviews will be carried out by a review panel, which will comprise of at least two officers, who have not been directly involved with the initial decision process.

We will acknowledge your request for review within two days of receiving it and will confirm when we expect to be able to respond to your request for review. We will respond promptly and usually within 20 working days of receiving your request for review. There may be rare occasions when we are unable to respond within 20 working days, for example, very complex requests. In these cases, we will notify you of when a response can be expected.

Once the review panel has met to consider your request you will be informed of their decision, the reasons for that decision and how to make a further appeal to the Information Commissioner's Office if you are still not satisfied with the outcome .

You are entitled to approach the Information Commissioner's Office at any time, however they will not generally consider a matter until the council's internal review procedure has been completed.

The Information Commissioner's website also gives more details about Freedom of Information.

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF

Reuse of public sector information regulations (ROPSI)

On the 1 July 2005 a new European Directive came into force which allows people to apply to re-use information held by the council. 'Re-use' means using the information for a purpose other than the purpose for which the document was originally produced. This could include a commercial purpose.

This page explains how you can make a request to re-use information and how the council will deal with requests.

The new directive does not provide access to the information itself. That is available through the Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act or other access to information regimes such as the Environmental Information Regulations.

How much will it cost?

To be valid a request must:

• be in writing;
• state your name and address;
• specify the document which you want to re-use.

There is no prescribed form, and your request can be made by applying in writing to:

Freedom of Information 
Newcastle City Council
Civic Centre
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8QH
Email: freedomofinformation@newcastle.gov.uk

Does the council have to respond within a set time?

We must respond to your request within 20 working days. Where your request is received outside of normal working hours (for example evenings and weekends) it will be treated as having been received the next working day.

Sometimes it may be necessary to extend the time limit. Where this happens, we will tell you before the end of the 20-working day deadline why we are extending the time limit and the date on which we expect to be able to respond.

Responding to a request means:

• making the requested document available for re-use, or
• where conditions are attached to the re-use, finalising the offer to you of the conditions on which re-use will be permitted, or refusing the request. 

Will I always be granted permission to re-use documents?

Not always. The regulations allow us to refuse requests for one or more of the following reasons:

• the document contains information in which intellectual property rights are owned by a third party. An example would be architectural drawings which the council has commissioned from an architect who retains the copyright;
• the content of the document is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000;
  the document falls outside of the council's statutory functions.

Will I be told why you have refused to let me re-use the information?

Yes - if we refuse your request for re-use we must inform you in writing of the reason for refusal.

We must also advise you of your rights of an internal review and of appeal.

Where the refusal is because intellectual property rights are owned by a third party, we must tell you who owns the relevant intellectual property rights, where we know that information; or the name of the person from whom we obtained the document.

Processing requests for re-use

Where possible we will process your request electronically and make the documents you wish to re-use available electronically.

However, we do not have to create or adapt a document in order to comply with a request for re-use; nor are we required to provide an extract from a document where it would involve disproportionate effort or continue to produce a certain type of document just so that someone else can re-use it.

Will I be able to re-use information in any way I choose?

No. Sometimes, but not always, we will impose conditions on re-use. Where we do this these conditions will be imposed by Licence, but they will not unnecessarily restrict the way in which a document can be re-used or restrict competition.

What happens if someone else wants to re-use the same information?

We cannot discriminate between two applicants who request the same information. Both requests must be dealt with.

We cannot grant you exclusive rights to re-use the information, except where the arrangement is for the provision of a service in the public interest. If you are granted exclusive rights, these will be reviewed every three years, and the details of the exclusivity agreement may have to be published on our website.

Will I have to pay for re-use information?

You may have to pay. We can charge for allowing re-use, but we are not allowed to charge more than it costs us to provide the information, other than allowing a reasonable return on our investment.

If you ask, we can provide a breakdown of how charges have been calculated.

What happens if I'm not happy with how you have handled my request?

You can ask for an internal review of the decision. To do this you should write within 40 days of being informed of the decision to:

Freedom of Information 
Newcastle City Council
Civic Centre
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8QH
Phone: 0191 211 6500 
Email: freedomofinformation@newcastle.gov.uk

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the Internal Review, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF
https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/foi-and-eir-complaints/foi-and-eir-complaints/

There is no charge for making a complaint to the ICO.