Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives everyone a right of access to information held by Scottish public authorities, including the City of Edinburgh Council . The aim of the Act is to increase openness and transparency by allowing people to access information about how decisions are taken and how public services are delivered.

Requests for information must be made in writing, or in a permanent form such as email, video or audio tape. You can contact us using the address details, or use the on-line application form.

If you need information in a special format, such as large print or a language other than English, please let us know when you apply.

Under the Act, the Council is obliged to maintain a Publication Scheme which details the classes of information which we are committed to making available, usually through our website.  If you can not find the information you need, you can contact us directly to request the information. 

Response times

You can expect to receive a response to your request within 20 working days, though we may ask you for clarification to help us locate and retrieve the information you are interested in.

Costs

A lot of information may be supplied free of charge. However, sometimes you may have to pay a fee because of the expense involved in locating, retrieving, collating and providing the information. You will be told in advance if a fee will apply.