Contacting the City of London to make enquiries
Information already available
You may find that we already make available the information you
require from us.
The City of London already makes available extensive amounts of
information. If the information is already available, it may be
listed in the City of London’s Publication
Scheme.
If it is listed there, you can obtain it in the way described in
the Scheme - for example through our archive offices and libraries,
or from this website.
If the information you require is not listed there, please go
to Enquiries under the Freedom of Information
Act where we provide contact details which you can use for
making enquiries to the City of London.
City of London’s Publication
Scheme
Here is the City of London's Publication Scheme (960kb)
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the City of London
has had to produce a Publication Scheme. ‘Publication’ does not
only mean ‘to publish’ in the traditional sense that a book is said
to be published. It means information made available publicly in
any way.
The Internet version of the scheme is the master version,
and so it is the most up-to-date version. The scheme is subject to
ongoing review.
Our scheme must set out
- what classes of information we will make available as a matter
of course
- how and when we will do so
- and what costs we will charge for provision of the information,
if any.
A Publication Scheme is in effect a catalogue of published
information, rather than the published information itself. But
because the information listed in a Publication Scheme is already
published - ie already available to you by other means - the
information is exempt from the usual access requirements under the
Freedom of Information Act. This includes exemption from the
obligation to respond to a request for information within the terms
of the Act, and from the government’s Fees Regulations.
In other words, the information listed is already available to
you by other means. For example, it may be available on the City of
London’s Internet site, or by making use of the catalogues in the
City of London’s archive offices. Comments about the contents of
the City of London’s Publication Scheme (960kb) and how easy
or difficult you think it is to use, would also be welcome.
You can send your views to the:
Information Officer
Town Clerk’s Department
City of London
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London
EC2P 2EJ
or
email
us.
Please note that three bodies usually associated with the City
of London are not included in the City of London’s Publication
Scheme. This is because under the Freedom of Information Act
they are responsible for their own compliance with the Act,
and as such they have to maintain their own publication
schemes.
These bodies are
Enquiries under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000
Your rights under the
Freedom of Information Act
If the information you require is not listed in the City of
London Publication Scheme or is not otherwise already available
from us, you can make a request for information to us under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Download the Publication
Scheme (960kb)
You can ask to see any information which you think we may hold.
However, if the information you require is the information which we
hold about you personally, please see Enquiries
under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, there is no obligation
upon you, in making an enquiry, to state why you would like the
information you are requesting.
However, the Act does require that when you make a request for
information
- you make it in writing (this can be by email)
- that you state your name
- that you provide an address for correspondence (this can be an
email address),
- and, of course, that you describe the information
requested
Please note that if your enquiry is too general, we are
allowed to ask you more precisely what information you require.
Fees
You may also find that if your request is too large, we may not
be able to provide all of the information to you within the cost
ceiling which we are allowed to impose under the Government’s Fees
Regulations (GFR). Please see our Fees Guidance below.
Download our FOI Fees
Guidance (61kb)
If there is a charge to be made for providing the information,
we will reply to you, sending you a Fees Notice (as it is called in
the Act) telling you how much we will need to charge in order to be
able to respond to your enquiry. Anything we charge will be in
accordance with the Fees Regulations.
If you have received a fees notice and would like to pay please
continue
to our online payment page. Please be aware that you will need
to register your details with us before making an online
payment.
Response times
Unless we are waiting to receive a payment of a fee from you,
the Freedom of Information Act will, from 1 January 2005, normally
require us to respond to your enquiry within 20 working days from
the first working day after the day on which we receive your
enquiry.
Exemptions
It may be that we are unable to provide you with the information
which you have requested, because an exemption applies. For
information about exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act,
please see the section on Exemptions to Disclosure under Freedom of
Information Act 2000 - A Summary. For more detailed information,
please see
The Freedom of Information Act 2000: An
Introduction , which provides the Information
Commissioner’s general guidance on the Act.
The Information Commissioner is appointed by
the Crown, and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the
Freedom of Information Act.
Contacting us
Information Officer
Town Clerk’s Department
City of London
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London
EC2P 2EJ
or
contact us
by email or use the FOI online
enquiry form (if you wish to include an attachment please
use the email option).
Please note that the City of London provides local authority
services for the financial district known as the ‘Square Mile’. The
rest of London is known as ‘Greater London’ and is administered by
the Greater
London Authority, Westminster City Council, and the London
Boroughs. We do, though, have some functions in relation to areas
other than the 'Square Mile'. For example, we manage some of
Greater London's open spaces.
Enquiries under the Data Protection
Act 1998
Your rights under the Data Protection
Act
DPA fees
Proofs of identity
DPA response times
DPA exemptions
Making a request
Terms and conditions
Your rights under the
Data Protection Act
All requests to see ‘personal data’ (which is the term used in
the Act to mean personal information) which we hold about you (the
‘data subject’) are requests which have to be dealt with by us
under the Data Protection Act 1998. These are known as ‘subject
access requests’.
In making a request to see your personal data, there is no
obligation upon you to state why you would like to see the
data.
However, the Act does require that when you make a request
You should also
- state your name
- provide an address for correspondence (this may be an email
address)
- describe the data about yourself which you would like to
see
- and provide two documents which give proof of your
identity
Being precise in your request will assist us in providing the
personal data you are seeking.
Until 1 January 2005, you are permitted to see your personal
data where it is held on computer and when it is held in very
structured filing systems which are not computerised.
After 1 January 2005, you are generally permitted to see such
data however it is held, although there are still some limitations
with regard to filing systems which are not computerised.
Please note that the definition of ‘personal data’ may not
necessarily cover every reference to you in the records which we
hold. To qualify as ‘personal data’, the data must be biographical
in a significant sense, both having the data subject as its focus
and affecting the data subject’s privacy.
Fees
We normally charge a £10 administrative fee for each request.
However, for a full explanation of fees please see our Data
Protection Fees Guidance below.
Download the Data Protection Fees
Guidance (60.4kb)
Proofs of identity
Before we can provide you with any information we need to see
two documents which prove your identity, such as a passport,
driving licence, or a utility bill (but not a mobile phone bill)
which should be less than 3 months old. You may supply the
documents by presenting them in person. If making your application
by post, please do not send original documents by normal post; you
should use a recorded delivery service (and make similar
arrangements at your own cost for their return). Alternatively you
may send photocopies certified by someone over 18 who is not a
relative of the applicant (or of the subject of the application
where different). Certification should confirm that the copy is ‘a
true copy’, and give the certifying person’s name, address and
telephone number. If applying on someone else’s behalf, you must
also provide evidence of your authority to make the application and
of your own identity.
Response times
Once we have received the fee and proofs of identity, we have 40
calendar days in which to comply with your request, if no
exemptions apply.
Exemptions
It may be that we are unable to provide you with the information
which you have requested, because an exemption applies. For
information about exemptions under the Data Protection Act, please
see the section on Exemptions under Data Protection Act 1998 - A
Summary. For more detailed information, please see
Data Protection Act 1998: Legal Guidance,
which provides the Information Commissioner’s general guidance
on the Act. The
Information Commissioner is appointed by the
Crown, and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Data
Protection Act.
Making a request
or by
email to
the information officer or use the DPA
online enquiry form (if you wish to include an attachment
please use the email option).
or
Download the Subject Access (Personal Data)
Request Form PDF (74kb)
Alternatively, you can simply write to us. Please send your
written request to
Information Officer (Data Protection)
Town Clerk’s Department
City of London
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London
EC2P 2EJ
If you would like to discuss your application prior to making
it, please contact the Information Officer on 020 7332
1209 or by
email
information.officer@cityoflondon.gov.uk. However, please note
that it is the policy of the City of London not to provide personal
information over the phone.
Remember
- Please send the £10 fee. Any cheque should be made payable to
the ‘City of London’
- Please also enclose your proofs of identity, or personally
deliver them to us.
Terms and conditions
We, the City of London, will take all reasonable steps to
- provide the information requested within the 40 day time limit
defined under the Act
- ensure that the information provided is complete and
accurate
- correct any errors in the information held as and when
notified
- provide reasons why we hold the information
- provide details of the source of the information
- provide details of the people or organisations that might
receive the information
We have the right to withhold personal data if it
- is part of a confidential reference given by the City of
London
- is subject to a duty of confidentiality, eg confidential
references provided to the City of London
- is subject to legal professional privilege
- is being used to investigate crime or detect fraud
- is being used for management forecasting or planning would
prejudice negotiations to reveal the data
- is, in the opinion of the City of London or of independent
professional advice, likely to cause serious harm to the physical
or mental health of the data subject or another person
- relates to health, education and social work, and is processed
by a court and consists of information supplied in a report or
other evidence to the court by a local authority
- is processed for the purposes of assessing suitability for the
conferring by the Crown of an honour
Enquiries under the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004
Your rights under the Environmental
Information Regulations
EIR fees
EIR response times
EIR exemptions
Contacting us about EIR
Your rights under the
Environmental Information Regulations
You can ask to see any environmental information which you think
we may hold. There is no obligation upon you, in making an enquiry,
to state why you would like the information you are requesting
(except with regard to that part of any information requested which
is the personal information of someone else). You do not have to
make your enquiry in writing. You do, though, need to provide a
name and address. If you are sending a written request, an email
address is sufficient to act as a name and address.
Fees
If there is a charge to be made for providing the information we
will do so in accordance with the City of London’s Fees Guidance
issued in accordance with the Environmental Information
Regulations. Please see our Fees Guidance below.
Download our EIRs Fees
Guidance (50kb)
Response times
We are required to respond within 20 working days from the first
working day after the day on which we receive your request for
information, unless we are waiting to receive a payment of a fee
from you. We are allowed to extend the time up to 40 working days
if we believe that the complexity and volume of the information
requested means that it is not practical either to comply with the
request within 20 working days or to make a decision to refuse to
do so.
Exemptions
It may be that we are unable to provide you with the information
which you have requested, because an exemption applies. For
information about exemptions under the Environmental Information
Regulations, please see the section on ‘Exemptions’ under
Environmental Information Regulations - A Summary. For more
detailed information, please see the
guidance published by the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Contacting us
If you wish to make a request for information which you think
may fall under the Environmental Information Regulations, please
contact the
Information Officer
Town Clerk’s Department
City of London
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London
EC2P 2EJ
You can send your request by post, or you can send an
send an
email or
Tel 020 7332 1209.
Feedback and complaints
procedures
Feedback and general complaints
Please follow this link if you wish to provide
feedback about the City of London.
You may also like to visit the public
Consultation section of this website.
Complaints under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
If you wish to make a complaint about the way the City of London
has handled your request for information you are required first of
all to submit it in writing, using our FOI
complaints procedure below.
Download the FOI complaints
procedure (30kb)
If you are still dissatisfied, you may complain to the
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel 01625 545700
The Information Commissioner is appointed by the Crown, and is
responsible for ensuring compliance with the Freedom of Information
Act. Visit the Information Commissioner’s website for more
information about the work of the Office of the Information
Commissioner.
Complaints under the Data Protection Act 1998
If you wish to make any complaint about the way the City of
London has handled your request for personal data under the Data
Protection Act 1998, you may, if you wish, make use of the
City of London Complaints Procedure.
If you are still dissatisfied, or you would prefer not to use
our complaints procedure, you may complain to
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel 01625 545700
The Information Commissioner is appointed by the Crown, and is
responsible for ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act.
Visit the Information Commissioner’s website for more
information about the work of the Office of the Information
Commissioner.
You are also entitled under the Data Protection Act to apply to
a County Court, or to the High Court, if you consider that we have
not complied with your request. The court may support your request
and order us to comply.
Complaints under the Environmental Information Regulations
2004
If you wish to make a complaint about the way the City of London
has handled your enquiries under the Environmental Information
Regulations 2004 (including any refusal by us to disclose
information which you have requested), you are required under the
Regulations first of all to make use of our EIRs Complaints
Procedure below.
Download the EIRs complaints
procedure (29kb)
If you are still dissatisfied, you may complain to the
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel 01625 545700
The Information Commissioner is appointed by the Crown, and is
responsible for ensuring compliance with the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004. Visit the Information Commissioner’s
website for more information about
the EIR work of the Office of the Information
Commissioner.