When you send in your request, please make sure you give us the following information:

• Your name and full postal address.
• A telephone number where we can contact you during the day.
• Your email address, if you want to correspond this way.
• The £10 fee (a cheque made payable to AVDC) if making a request under the Data Protection Act. (Requests under the Freedom of Information Act do not have to be accompanied by the fee - we will tell you if a fee is due when you have sent in your request.)

About the information:

Please tell us as much as you can, to help us find the information you want. We don’t need to know why you want the information. Please tell us:

• The council department you think has the information.
• Any file or reference numbers you may have.
• Any addresses, if relevant to the enquiry.
• Any relevant dates connected to the information.
• Names of any staff or councillors who may have dealt with the matter.

What happens when you’ve made a request for information?

Under the Freedom of Information Act:

• We will help you phrase the question in the right way, if necessary.
• We will tell you if we have the information you’ve asked for and if we are able to supply it.
• Charges may apply to some requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act, in accordance with government guidelines. We will let you know about any fee when you submit your request and you can decide if you want to go ahead with the request.
• You have three months to decide if you want to pay the fee.
• We will reply to your question within 20 working days, once you have paid any fee (if applicable).

Under the Data Protection Act:

A fee of £10 is payable. You can pay at the same time as you submit your request. We will tell you if we have been able to find any information about you within 40 days. We will not start a search if you haven’t paid the fee.

Date Updated: 04/03/08