Freedom of Information Act - charges for information requests

Will there be a charge?

This section provides guidance for the public on the fees that the London Borough of Tower Hamlets may charge for requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which came into full effect from 1 January 2005.

The council’s policy on fees complies with the Act and the government’s Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

The Government allows the Council to charge for requests that take more than 18 hours to complete (which is equivalent to a total cost of £450 using the Government’s hourly rate of £25 per hour as set out in the regulations). The staff costs taken into account in calculating the £450 include the time involved in:

• Identifying that the council holds the information
• Retrieving the information
• Extracting the information including reading, summarising or editing the information
• In most circumstances, Tower Hamlets will refuse to respond to requests for information that take more than 18 hours and will ask requesters to modify the request to bring it below the limit. If the requester refuses to amend the request, the Council will not process the request further.

This policy reflects the fact that charging for information creates a two-tier system where access to information is available on a basis of whether you can pay. The Council believes this is contrary to the intention of the Act, and therefore endeavours to ensure a level playing field for all.

Other sources of information

The fees regulations and full guidance are available on the Department of Constitutional Affairs website.

The council’s FOI manager can be contacted on foi@towerhamlets.gov.uk.