Since January 2005, the public has a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public bodies, including councils. If you request a piece of information from us, we have a duty to disclose that information, providing we hold it and it is not subject to any legally defined exemptions.
Local Transparency
Before making an FOI request, we publish a range of datasets available for download that are regularly updated.
The list of datasets can be viewed and accessed via our Open Data Catalogue here.
These datasets also include a range of information that the Council must publish in compliance with the requirements of the Local Government Transparency Code 2015. The purpose of this Code is to promote openness and transparency and sets out a number of key datasets and documents all local authorities must publish. These datasets and documents are listed in the Council’s Publication Scheme.
Information is usually updated on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis depending upon the nature of the dataset and requirements of the Code.
Publication scheme
Another way to search for information is though our Publication Scheme. We continue to review council documents and where appropriate will make them routinely available through the Publication Scheme.
Any document that is not currently published can be requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Still need to make an FOI request?
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the Council may not always be able to comply with the statutory deadlines due to the need to prioritise resources to other areas and you may experience understandable delays during this extraordinary period. We will let you know when we are able to respond to your request.
To make an FOI request it must be in writing, this includes email. After that we will:
- acknowledge your request on receipt
- reply in 20 working days
- tell you which FOI Officer is dealing with your request
- provide advice and assistance if you need it
- inform you if any exemptions apply. If they do, the council does not need to release the information and some exemptions can take longer than 20 days to look at so we will give you an estimate of when a decision will be made
There is no charge for FOI requests initially. If the information costs more than a certain amount to collect the council may not be able to provide it.
If you would like to make an FOI request under the Freedom of Information Act, please contact us:
- E-mail: foi@wolverhampton.gov.uk
- Information Governance Team
City of Wolverhampton Council
Civic Centre
St Peter's Square
Wolverhampton
WV1 1SH - For advice on making your Freedom of Information request, please call the Information Governance Team on 01902 550363 and please select Option 1. Note that you cannot make an FOI request over the phone.