Publication scheme

The publication scheme is a guide to the types of information that the council intends to routinely make available to the public. The Information Commissioner has issued a model publication scheme that Oxfordshire County Council has adopted. 

The model scheme lists seven broad classes of information. The links provided here give example of the information available. 

What we are committed to

The scheme commits the council:

• To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information, including environmental information, which is held by the council and falls within the classifications below.
• To specify the information which is held by the council and falls within the classifications below.
• To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information in line with the statements contained within this scheme.
• To produce and publish the methods by which the specific information is made routinely available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public.
• To review and update on a regular basis the information the council makes available under this scheme.
• To produce a schedule of any fees charged for access to information which is made proactively available.
• To make this publication scheme available to the public.
• To publish any dataset held by the council that has been requested, and any updated version it holds, unless the council is satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so; to publish the dataset, where reasonably practicable, in an electronic form that is capable of re-use; and, if any information in the dataset is a relevant copyright work and the public authority is the only owner, to make the information available for re-use under a specified licence. The term ‘dataset’ is defined in section 11(5) of the Freedom of Information Act. The terms ‘relevant copyright work’ and ’specified licence’ are defined in section 19(8) of that Act.

Classes of information

Who we are and what we do.

Organisational information, locations and contacts, constitutional and legal governance.

• Council constitution
• Current elected councillors
• Council directorate structure
• Council land and buildings
• Voting and elections

What we spend and how we spend it

Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, tendering, procurement and contracts.

• Statement of accounts and audit reports
• Summary Financial Information
• Procurement and contract information
• Pay and grading structure for senior and chief officer positions
• Pay policy statement
• Councillor allowances

What our priorities are and how we are doing

Strategy and performance information, plans, assessments, inspections and reviews.

• Internal and external organisation performance
• Scrutiny
• Forward plans
• Equality impact assessment
• Customer Service Standards
• Local transport and connectivity plans
• Supporting the development of local services

How we make decisions

Policy proposals and decisions, decision-making processes, internal criteria and procedures, consultations.

• Council cabinet and committee meetings
• Public Consultations – consultation papers or information, any summary of the responses and the outcome of the consultation exercise.

Our policies and procedures

Current written protocols for delivering our functions and responsibilities.

• Plans, performance and policies
• Recruitment and employment of staff – for example employment information, current vacancies, equality and diversity, health and safety.
• Information policies – for example access to information, complaints
• Policy on compliance with RIPA
• Policy on compliance with RIPA (Appendix 2 accessible text)
• Trade Union facility time (pdf format, 61Kb)
• Trade Union facility time - central employees (pdf format, 66Kb)
• Trade Union facility time - education employees (pdf format, 66Kb)
• Trade Union facility time - Fire and rescue employees (pdf format, 98KB)

Lists and registers

Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the council.

• Oxfordshire History Centre’s information asset register
• Licenced wedding and civil partnership venues
• Common land and commons registration
• Members register of interest
• Rights of way definitive map
• Number of potholes reported, fixed and cost of damage claims (pdf format, 115 KB)

Information not included in these classes

The classes of information will not generally include the following.

• Information, the disclosure of, which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure.
• Information in draft form.
• Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage or is difficult to access for similar reasons.
• Information not held by the Council (see below)

Information we do not hold

The five local district councils within Oxfordshire deal with the following services:

• planning applications and building control
• social care housing, homelessness and housing benefits
• environmental health, pest control, noise pollution, dog fouling, street cleaning
• leisure centres, swimming pools, sports facilities and play areas, parks and open spaces, markets
• household waste collections
• council tax
• business rates

How information will be made available

The council will indicate clearly to the public what information is covered by this scheme and how it can be obtained.

Where it is within the capability of the council, information will be provided on the website www.oxfordshire.gov.uk. Where it is impracticable to make information available on the website or when an individual does not wish to access the information by the website, the council will indicate how information can be obtained by other means and provide it by those means.

Information will be provided in the language in which it is held or in such other language that is legally required. Where the council is legally required to translate any information, it will do so.

Obligations under disability and discrimination legislation and any other legislation to provide information in other forms and formats will be adhered to when providing information in accordance with this scheme.

Charges for information

The purpose of this scheme is to make the maximum amount of information readily available at minimum inconvenience and cost to the public. Charges made by the council for routinely published material will be justified and transparent and kept to a minimum.

Material which is published and accessed on a website will be provided free of charge.

Charges may be made for information subject to a charging regime specified by Parliament.

Charges may be made for actual disbursements incurred such as:

• photocopying
• postage and packaging
• the costs directly incurred as a result of viewing information.

Charges may also be made for information provided under this scheme where they are legally authorised, they are in all the circumstances, including the general principles of the right of access to information held by public authorities, justified and are in accordance with a published schedule or schedules of fees which is readily available to the public.

Charges may also be made for making datasets (or parts of datasets) that are relevant copyright works available for re-use. These charges will be in accordance with either regulations made under section 11B of the Freedom of Information Act or other enactments.

If a charge is to be made, confirmation of the payment due will be given before the information is provided. Payment may be requested prior to provision of the information.

Written requests

Information held by the council that is not published under this scheme can be requested using this form in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations.