PUBLICATION SCHEME


North Devon District Council provides a wide range of services for the people of North Devon, including planning services, cultural services, environmental services and recycling, open spaces and community development.


The Council comprises 43 elected Members who represent the community to oversee the provision of services and an annual net budget of £11,006,692.


In providing services for the community of North Devon, the Council collects and holds information.


The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives a general right of access to all types of information held by the Council, subject to any exemptions and restrictions contained in the Act.


The general right of access came into force on the 1st January 2005. This Publication Scheme, which came into force on the 1st February 2003, tells you what information is currently available and how to obtain it.


In preparing this Publication Scheme, the Council has had regard to the following principles -


 To serve the needs of the citizen and, therefore, to ensure that the needs and perspective of the public is paramount when considering what information is to be provided and how it is to be provided.


 To be open and transparent; and in the spirit of the Act, to publish information unless there is a specific reason not to.


 Over time and, as the practical means by which publication of information can be effectively developed, to publish an increasing amount of information as a matter of course.



In pursuance of these principles the Scheme will be reviewed annually in the light of public requests for information, and our own continuing audit of information that may be made available to the public.


The Scheme sets out -

 What information the Council is required to publish by law.
 What information the Council publishes as a matter of course.
 How that information is published.


All information will be supplied free of charge unless the requester of that information is advised of a charge at the time of the request or is stated in this Scheme. However the Council reserves the right to exercise discretion under Section 12 of the Act to decline to comply with requests for information in appropriate cases where excessive costs or disproportionate effort would otherwise be incurred.


The Scheme divides the information into the following broad categories -


ADVICE
BENEFITS
BUSINESS
COMMUNITY PEOPLE AND LIVING
COUNCIL AND DEMOCRACY
EMERGENCIES
ENVIRONMENT
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
HOUSING
LEISURE
NEWS
TRANSPORT AND STREETS


You may notice that not all categories are used: they are included to allow for the Scheme to be expanded as new information identified for inclusion in the Scheme.


These categories are further divided as detailed below to assist in identifying the information published and its source.


“Class” - Tells you what the publication or information is called
“Class Description” - Tells you, briefly, what the publication or information is about.
“Information Source” - Tells you how to obtain a copy


The Council's website, www.northdevon.gov.uk can also act as an alternative source of information.  This site incorporates the A - Z of services which can also be used as another means of finding information.


This is the first edition of the North Devon District Council Publication Scheme and comes into force on 1st February 2003.  As from that date the information included in the Scheme will be available as detailed in the Scheme.  If you require any information not included in the Scheme you should in the first instance contact the appropriate Business Manager of the Council.