Freedom of Information Act - Publication Scheme
Publication Scheme Operated by Mid Beds District Council
How the Publication Scheme works
The Publication Scheme is a guide to the information that Mid Beds District Council publishes or intends to publish. The term 'Publication' is not limited to printed documentation such as leaflets - it could include web based information and even audio and video formats.
A key requirement of the Scheme is that it identifies the categories (or ‘classes’) of information that the Council publishes. The categories we have used are designed to make it easier for the public to find the information they need.
The Scheme is intended to identify information and not individual documents. The Council produces thousands of documents and it would be impossible to keep the Scheme up-to-date if we tried to list them all. Therefore several documents will exist within each of the sub-categories listed in the Scheme.
How to Use the Publication Scheme
Our Publication Scheme is divided into general categories that are easy to understand and allow the user to find the information they need quickly. In turn, these general categories are divided into sub categories. The information in each sub-category is then described including what format it is available in and whether it is free of charge or not.
Examples:
| Category: | Sub-Category: | Type of Information: | Date: | Format: | Chargeable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| About the Council | Strategies and Plans | The Forward Plan | Updated monthly | Document and
Internet | No |
| Planning | Research | Housing Needs Survey | Sept 2000 | Document | £60 |
Most Council documents have to go through formal processes before they are approved and published. In other cases public feedback on draft documents may be sought before a final version is produced. If Information is published in the latter category, we will make this clear in the document and in the Publication Scheme.
Every attempt will be made to ensure that the current version of such information is available.
Information not produced by Mid Beds District Council
Some of the information published by Mid Beds District Council and included in the Publication Scheme may have been published by other public agencies or in partnership with them e.g. the Regional Economic Strategy
Changes to the Publication Scheme
The Council intends to review the contents of the scheme on a six-monthly basis. Following each review it is expected that new material will be added.
How to request information
You can ask to see the information listed in the Scheme by contacting us - see below for details of how to contact us.
Some of the information listed in the Scheme is available from our Reception Desks – however if you wish to collect a copy of a document it is best to telephone first to make sure it is available for you.
You can request that documents are posted or emailed to you by writing to us or telephoning.
Finally, much of the information is available on-line on this web site.
Charges
Our Publication Scheme states whether information is available free of charge or whether you have to pay for it. We intend to make as much information as possible available free of charge.
In broad terms the following conditions will apply:
- information printed or downloaded from the website: free of charge
- documents produced by the Council: as per cover price
How to contact us
If you want to talk to someone about our Publication Scheme or you want to find information not mentioned in it, please contact the FoI Manager at the below address.
Mid Beds District Council
Priory House
Monks Walk
Chicksands
Shefford
Beds SG17 5TQ
Telephone: 01462 611222
Email: foi@midbeds.gov.uk
* Download Publication Scheme 4th January 2007 (application/pdf; 30kb)
* Download FOI Logo (image/gif; 37kb)
