We produced this publication scheme under section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act (the FOI Act). The Head of the IT Division is the senior manager responsible for the scheme. Day to day maintenance of the scheme is the responsibility of the Records Management Officer.

Under section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act each public authority must produce a Publications Scheme. This has to set out what information it will publish, how the information will be made available and whether it will be free or a charge made.

Publication Schemes are intended to encourage organisations to publish more information and to develop a culture of greater openness.

We already publish a significant amount of information. Our policy and practice is to be open and transparent about the information we hold (within the constraints of other Acts, such as the Data Protection Act 1998) and to proactively publish information so that individuals do not have to make a specific request. Our scheme will expand and develop as new information becomes available. We are committed to releasing any information that is included in its scheme and welcomes feedback on how the scheme can be improved.

How we make information available and what charges may apply

Information listed on the scheme will be made available in a number of ways. However, information will not necessarily be made available in all these ways. The options are given under each class of information. The list below summarises the key formats that will be used.

Website

Our website is continually expanding and where particular information is available on the website, the website address will be given, together with any appropriate linked web addresses. Please note that where a link address is given to another organisation's website provision of that information is the responsibility of that organisation and not AVDC.

By post

Information may be requested and returned by post, following receipt of any charge that may be payable. Contact details and relevant charges are listed in the scheme itself. We aim to respond to requests received within 10 working days of receiving the request. We do not provide printouts from other peoples' websites.

By email

Information not held on the web, but available electronically in an appropriate format, eg as a word document, may be sent as an email on request free of charge. We aim to reply to email enquiries within 10 working days of receipt.

Leaflets, newsletters, other types of printed publications eg reports

We publish an extensive range of leaflets, forms, reports, newsletters, etc. Generally our leaflets, and other types of publications, such as committee reports, are available to inspect or obtain from our Customer Service Centre in Aylesbury, or at our Winslow or Buckingham area offices. We use a number of community venues across the district as outlets as Community Information Points. The leaflets are usually changed each month. Details of what is being displayed can be found by following the link shown below or as a printed document.

Feedback

Publication Schemes are a new requirement for councils and we expect to make improvements to this scheme. If you have any suggestions about how we can improve the scheme please let us know. You can contact the Records Management Officer either at the following address, by email or on the telephone number shown.

Records Management Officer, Information Technology, AVDC, 4 Great Western Street, Aylesury, HP20 2TW.

 

 

Date Published: 28/03/08