Publication Scheme

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The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Council to have a Publication Scheme explaining how certain types of council information are made available.

Information available from Rowlands Castle Parish Council

under the ICO Model Publication Scheme (Version 2, 2014) for the Freedom of Information Act

This guidance/template gives examples of the kinds of information the ICO would expect Parish/Community Councils to provide in order to meet their commitments under the Model Publication Scheme.

The ICO expects Parish/Community Councils to make the information in this definition document available unless:

it does not hold the information;
the information is exempt under one of the FOIA exemptions or Environmental Information Regulations exceptions, or its release is prohibited by another statute;
the information is readily and publicly available from an external website; such information may have been provided by the public authority or on its behalf. The authority must provide a direct link to that information;
the information is archived, out of date or otherwise inaccessible; or,
it would be impractical or resource-intensive to prepare the material for routine release.

The guidance is not meant to give an exhaustive list of everything that should be covered by a Publication Scheme. The legal commitment is to the Model Publication Scheme, and public authorities should look to provide as much information as possible on a routine basis.

Publishing datasets for re-use

Public authorities must publish under their Publication Scheme any dataset they hold that has been requested, together with any updated versions, unless they are satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so. So far as reasonably practicable, they must publish it in an electronic form that is capable of re-use.

If the dataset or any part of it is a relevant copyright work and the public authority is the only owner, the public authority must make it available for re-use under the terms of a specified licence. Datasets in which the Crown owns the copyright or the database rights are not relevant copyright works.

The Datasets Code of Practice recommends that public authorities make datasets available for re-use under the Open Government Licence.

The term ‘dataset’ is defined in section 11(5) of FoIA. The terms ‘relevant copyright work’ and ‘specified licence’ are defined in section 19(8) of FoIA. The ICO has published guidance on the dataset provisions in FoIA. This explains what is meant by “not appropriate” and “capable of re-use”.

Information to be published	How the information can be obtained	Cost
Class 1 – Who we are and What we do Current organisational information, structures, locations and contacts
Who’s who on the Council and its Committees	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Contact details for Parish Clerk and Council members Named contacts where possible, with telephone number and email address	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Location of main Council office and accessibility details	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Staffing structure	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side

Class 2 – What we spend and How we spend it Financial information relating to projected/actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit. Current and previous financial year as min.
Annual Return form and Report by Auditor	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Finalised budget	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Precept	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Borrowing Approval letter	N/A	N/A
Financial Standing Orders and Regulations	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Grants given and received	Website – see Minutes Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
List of current contracts awarded and value of contract	Website – see Minutes Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Members’ allowances and expenses	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side

Class 3 – What our priorities are and How we are doing Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews
Parish Plan (current and previous year as a minimum)	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Annual Report to Parish Meeting (current and previous year as a minimum)	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Quality status	N/A	N/A
Local charters drawn up in accordance with DCLG guidelines	N/A	N/A

Class 4 – How we make decisions Decision making processes and records of decisions. Current and previous council year as a minimum
Timetable of meetings (Council, incl its Committees and Sub-committees, and Parish Mtgs)	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Agendas of meetings (as above)	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Minutes of meetings (as above) excl information properly regarded as private to the Mtg	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Reports presented to council meetings excl information properly regarded as private to Mtg	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Responses to consultation papers	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Responses to planning applications	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Bye-laws	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side

Class 5 – Our policies and procedures Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities)
Policies and procedures for the conduct of council business: Procedural Standing Orders Committee and sub-committee Terms of Reference Delegated Authority in respect of officers Code of Conduct Policy statements	All on Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Policies and procedures for the provision of services and about the employment of staff: Internal policies relating to the delivery of services Equality and Diversity policy Health and Safety policy Recruitment policies incl current vacancies Policies and procedures for handling Requests for Information Complaints procedures incl Requests for Information and Publication Scheme	EITHER on Website, OR Hard copy, OR in development	Free 5p per A4 side
Information Security Policy	In Development	TBC
Records management policies (records retention, destruction and archive)	In Development	TBC
Data protection policies	In Development	TBC
Schedule of charges for the publication of information	Part of this Document	Free

Class 6 – Lists and Registers Currently maintained Lists and Registers only. Some information may only be available by inspection.
Any publicly available Register or List	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Assets Register (as at most recent Financial Year End)	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Disclosure Log (indicating the information that has been provided in response to requests; recommended as good practice, but may not be held by parish councils)	N/A	N/A
Register of Members’ Interests	Website Hard copy	Free 5p per A4 side
Register of Gifts and Hospitality	EHDC	N/A

Class 7 – The services we offer Current information about the services we offer, including leaflets, guidance and newsletters produced for the public and businesses. Some information may only be available by inspection.
Allotments	Contact Portsmouth CC	N/A
Burial grounds and closed churchyards	Contact St John’s Church	N/A
Community centres and village halls	Contact RC Parish Hall	N/A
Parks, playing fields and recreational facilities	Hard copy	5p per A4 side
Seating, litter bins, clocks, memorials and lighting	Hard copy	5p per A4 side
Bus shelters	Hard copy	5p per A4 side
Markets	N/A	N/A
Public conveniences	Hard copy	5p per A4 side
Agency agreements	N/A
A summary of services for which the council is entitled to recover a fee, together with those fees (eg burial fees)	N/A
Additional Information This will provide Councils with the opportunity to publish information that is not itemised in the lists above

Contact Details

Lisa Walker, Clerk to Rowlands Castle Parish Council
Address: Parish Office, 11 The Green, Rowlands Castle PO9 6BW
Tel: 02392 413044
Email: clerk@rowlandscastlepc.org.uk

Schedule of Charges

This describes how the charges have been arrived at and should be published as part of the Guide.

TYPE OF CHARGE	DESCRIPTION	BASIS OF CHARGE
Disbursement cost	Photocopying @ 5p per side of A4 (black & white)	Actual cost
	Photocopying @ 10p per side of A4 (colour)	Actual cost
	Postage	Actual cost of Royal Mail standard 2^nd class, unless otherwise requested
Statutory Fee		In accordance with the relevant legislation (quote the actual statute)

Comprising the village of Rowlands Castle, the hamlets of Finchdean, Old and New Idsworth, and the surrounding countryside