Restore Britain Torfaen

Freedom of Information

Using Freedom of Information requests to obtain information from public authorities and help investigate matters of public interest in Torfaen.

What is FOI?

Freedom of Information provides a way for people to request recorded information held by public authorities.

FOI requests can be useful when trying to understand how decisions are made, how public money is spent and what information public bodies hold.

Local research

The Torfaen branch can use publicly available information and FOI requests as part of research into matters affecting local communities.

  • Council spending and procurement
  • Local services and performance
  • Decisions and policies
  • Publicly funded projects

How an FOI request works

Step 1

Identify the information

Establish exactly what information you are looking for and which public authority may hold it.

Step 2

Make the request

Submit a clear request to the relevant public authority asking for recorded information.

Step 3

Examine the response

Consider the information provided and whether it answers the original question.

Important: Freedom of Information requests need to be specific about the recorded information being requested. Not every question will necessarily be an FOI request.
Restore Britain Torfaen — Local information, local issues, local action