Making a request for information

What kind of information are you seeking?

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How can you make a request for information?

In order to make a valid request for information, please note the following:

  • FOI requests: must be in writing and must include your real name and an address (either postal or email)
  • EIR requests: may be made in writing or verbal
  • SAR requests: may be made in writing or verbal

You can submit your request:

Online:

Submit a request for information online

By post, writing to:

  • Information Governance,
    Adur & Worthing Councils,
    Worthing Town Hall,
    Chapel Road,
    Worthing,
    West Sussex,
    BN11 1HA

By email:

By phone:

  • calling 01903 239999 (EIR and SAR only)

Face to face:

  • by speaking to staff (EIR and SAR only)

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How long will it take to get a response?

These are statutory deadlines, but in some circumstances we are able to extend these. When this happens, we will tell you why and when you will receive a response to your request.

  • FOI:
    • 20 working days
    • may be extended up to a 'reasonable' time to consider the public interest test
  • EIR:
    • 20 working days
    • may be extended up to 40 working days for complex and voluminous requests
  • SAR / DPRR:
    • 1 calendar month
    • may be extended up to a further 2 months if the request is complex

When we receive a request from you and require clarification from you, your request will be paused until we receive the information we have asked for to process your request.

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Costs

You will be informed in writing if there is to be a cost for providing the information.

Some publications which are produced by the Council are for sale and will be subject to the cost shown in the cover.

If you request information that is listed in the publication scheme there will be no charge if the information is delivered by e-mail. Information provided in hard copy form will be free for the first fifty pages, then will be charged at 10p per A4 sheet for all pages above fifty (plus postage if you are unable to collect it), to cover our costs.

If you are requesting information not contained in our publication scheme, we may charge you a fee as laid down in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Section 12) as follows:

  • when estimated staff costs involved locating or compiling the information is under £450.00 the only charge we would make is for the cost of photocopying and postage.
  • where it is estimated that it would require more than 18 hours of staff time to locate or compile the information we may charge you for the information at the rate of £25.00 per hour plus costs for photocopying and postage. If this is the case we will write to you to obtain your confirmation whether you wish to proceed with the request.
  • Under certain circumstances we may be charging for environmental information as set out in Regulation 8 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

We will charge 10p per sheet for photocopying and printing costs.

Postage will be charged at minimum second class postage costs.

We will not charge if the costs are less than £5.00.

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Review process

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request for information, you have the right to an internal review. Complaints and requests for review should be submitted by the applicants to the Senior Information Governance Officer (SIGO) within three (3) months of receipt of the response.

Please contact the SIGO explaining what you would like reviewed, either by emailing:

or by writing to the following address:

  • Senior Information Governance Officer,
    Adur & Worthing Councils,
    Worthing Town Hall,
    Chapel Road,
    Worthing,
    West Sussex,
    BN11 1HA

If you are not satisfied with the internal appeal, you can take your complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

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Page last updated: 14 February 2023

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