On 1 January 2005, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force, providing clear statutory rights for anybody requesting information.
Under the terms of the Act, any member of the public can apply for access to any information held by public sector bodies.
Requests for information
You can make a request to see or to have copies of any information held by Advantage West Midlands. Some information may not be available if covered by an exemption.
Your request for information may already be available through publications produced by Advantage West Midlands. In the first instance, please refer to our Publication Scheme to check whether we have already published what you are looking for.
Making a request for information
Your request needs to be made in writing, giving your contact details and a description of the information you require. You can make your request by:
- emailing [email protected]
- or, if you wish to request by post, you can download and complete our postal request form
When will I receive the information?
We will respond to requests promptly and, in any event, within 20 working days. If a charge applies or if additional information is required to deal with the request, this may lengthen the response time. In cases where information is covered by an exemption, but we are required to consider the public interest in releasing it, we will still endeavour to provide the information within the 20 working day target.
Will there be a charge?
Advantage West Midlands believes strongly in openness so will attempt to keep the cost of information as low as possible. There is no charge for making a request for information, the charge will only apply if you are granted access to the information.
For further information regarding fees, please view our FOI charging policy.
Can I appeal against the decision?
You have the right to appeal:
- against our decision to withhold information;
- about the amount of fees we have decided to charge;
- if you are generally dissatisfied with the way your request has been handled.
If you are dissatisfied, please use our complaints procedure. If you are still dissatisfied after pursuing this route, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner.