Freedom of Information

You will be informed of the fee before any work goes ahead.

You will also give you the option to change your request to bring it under the £450 limit.

Please note: Where there is an existing fee for information - such as for copies of the Local Plan or contaminated land information - these charges will still apply. Take a look at Freedom of Information charges for more details.

You must pay us before any work is done.

Your request will be closed if you do not pay us within 90 days of the fees letter being sent to you.

Exemptions where the public interest test does not apply:

• Section 21 - Information accessible by other means
• Section 23 - National security. Information supplied by, or relating to, bodies dealing with security matters. A certificate signed by a Minister of the Crown is conclusive proof that the exemption is justified. There is a separate appeals mechanism against such certificates
• Section 32 - Court records
• Section 34 - Parliamentary privilege. A certificate signed by the Speaker of the House, in respect of the House of Commons, or by the Clerk of the Parliament, in respect of the House of Lords is conclusive proof that the exemption is justified
• Section 36 - Effective Conduct of Public Affairs. Information held by the House of Commons or the House of Lords
• Section 40: Personal information. Where the applicant is the subject of the information. The applicant already has the right of ‘subject access' under the Data Protection Act 1998 - where the information concerns a third party and disclosure would breach one of the data protection principles
• Section 41 - Information provided 'in confidence'. Please note simply marking an item confidential does not necessarily make it 'confidential'
• Section 44 - Prohibitions on disclosure. Where a disclosure is prohibited by an enactment or would constitute contempt of court

Exemptions where the public interest test applies:

• Section 22: Information intended for future publication exemption
• Section 24: National security. Other than information supplied by or relating to named security organisations, where the duty to consider disclosure in the public interest does not apply
• Section 26: Defence
• Section 27: International relations
• Section 28: Relations within the United Kingdom
• Section 29: UK economic interests
• Section 30: Investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities
• Section 31: Law enforcement
• Section 33: Audit functions
• Section 35: Formulation of government policy and ministerial communications
• Section 36: Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs - except information held by the House of Commons or the House of Lords
• Section 37: Communications with Her Majesty, the Royal Family or concerning honours
• Section 38: Health and safety
• Section 39: Environmental information. This can be accessed through the Environmental Information Regulations
• Section 40: Personal information relating to a third party access request
• Section 42: Legal professional privilege
• Section 43: Commercial interests

They are Environment Agency regulations for:

• Air
• Water
• Soil
• Land
• Landscape and natural sites
• Flora and fauna - including cattle, crops, GMO's, wildlife and biological diversity - and interaction between them
• Human health and safety
• The food chain
• Cultural sites and built structures
• substances, energy, noise, radiation or waste affecting or likely to affect the state of the elements of the environment and interaction between them
• Policies, legislation, plans, programmes and environmental agreements
• Activities affecting or likely to affect, or intended to protect the state of elements of the environment and the interaction between them
• Emissions discharges and other releases into the environment
• Cost benefit and other economic analysis used in environmental decision making

Any member of the public has the right to access information about how the Environment Agency are enforcing these regulations.

This right of access provides the opportunity to participate in their decision making process.

The Environment Agency makes public all applications for permits to:

• Industry
• Business
• And individuals

Please take a look at the Environment Agency public register.

Requests for information can be made:

Online: Secure Freedom of Information form
Email: foi@midsussex.gov.uk

Responses are normally sent out within 20 working days.

For further information or help in filling out the form please contact:

Email: foi@midsussex.gov.uk

Where there is an existing fee for information - such as for copies of the Local Plan or contaminated land information - charges will apply. For more details please take a look at Freedom of Information charges

If getting your information takes more than 18 hours  - 2.5 working days - then the authority will charge you at a rate of £25 per hour for the total amount of time taken to get your information.

For more information please contact: foi@midsussex.gov.uk. 

You must pay us before any work is done.

If you do not pay us within 60 days of the fees letter being sent to you then your request will be closed.

A request for information can be refused or partly withheld if:

• We don't hold the information. The request may then be transferred
• The request is unreasonable
• The request is too general
• The request is for unfinished documents or data
• The request is for internal communications

A public authority may also refuse or partly withhold information due to:

• Confidentiality of proceedings
• International relations such as public security and defence
• The course of justice and right to fair trial
• Commercial confidentiality
• Intellectual property rights
• Personal and voluntary data
• Environmental protection

If your request is refused we will contact you and explain the reasons why.