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Freedom of Information Act Policy
1. Introduction
Berneslai Homes is a company limited by guarantee and is an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) responsible for managing homes and other Housing Revenue Account (HRA) assets such as shops, community buildings, garages and land on behalf of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Berneslai Homes is wholly owned by Barnsley MBC and came into existence in November 2002.
2.Purpose of the Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information Act came fully into force on 1st January 2005 and aims to encourage openness and accountability amongst public authorities by providing rights to information. As a company owned by Barnsley MBC, Berneslai Homes must comply with this act.
3. Information you are entitled to
Under the new legislation you will have the right of access to all types of information held by public authorities, not just personal information.
The Act requires every Local Authority to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme from February 2003. The purpose of the Publication Scheme is to inform the public of the types of information available. This Scheme outlines information available from Berneslai Homes.
Personal information falls under the Data Protection Act 1998 which restricts its disclosure to anybody else. We will not disclose any personal information in any circumstances where such disclosure would not be authorised under the Data Protection Act 1998.
In addition to personal information, the Freedom of Information Act extends these rights to include allowing access to all types of information held by Public Authorities. To facilitate this, we must also adopt a Publication Scheme providing information on the different categories of information that we hold and providing advice on who to contact for any information not readily available.
If we dont hold the information you request and know who does we will either direct you to that other organisation or, with your permission, pass on your request.
4. Exemptions
Certain information held by Berneslai Homes is exempt from the act. These can be classified as follows:-
- The information would put the health, safety or welfare of our staff or any individual at risk
- The information would be harmful to commercial interests
- Making the requested information public would prejudice any investigation being undertaken by Berneslai Homes.
A full list of the exemptions is listed in the Freedom of Information Act and further details can be provided if requested.
We will provide a full explanation our reasons referenced to the act if we believe information requested is exempt from publication.
5. Charges
We will make as much information as possible available without charge. For those without Internet access, no charge will be made for single paper copies of documents available on the website. Multiple printouts, which would result in a substantial reproduction cost for the company, may attract a charge for photocopying, postage etc. Likewise there may be a charge for any large scale copying of paper based information. We will charge for any document published where there has been a substantial amount of research by employees or consultants employed by Berneslai Homes. You would be informed of any charges at the time of your request.
We wish to emphasise that only in exceptional circumstances will any charge for actually providing information be made. Information can be viewed at Barnsley Connects Offices free of charge (appointment will usually be necessary).
You will be told of any charges for providing information at the time of your request and will be asked to pay before we start to compile the information.
6. The Publication Scheme
The purpose of the scheme is to make information more accessible by providing details of the information held. The publication scheme will be updated periodically to take account of new types of information available.
For ease of reference, the type of information available has been put into 3 categories: -
- services we offer;
- how we operate; and
- how we are performing.
Details of the information in each of these categories are itemised below.
The following leaflets are available at Barnsley Connects offices, Berneslai Homes website or by contacting the Service Development team on 01226 772720.
Please forward any other requests for information to:
Service Development Team
Berneslai Homes
Springfield House
Springfield Street
Barnsley S70 6HH
7. Access to Information
Details of different types of information available are contained within the publication scheme. Alternatively, information that is not in our publication scheme can be requested from our Customer Services Team on telephone number 01226 774376. We will respond to your request within 20 working days. If we believe that we cannot comply with your request for whatever reason, you will also be informed of this fact within 20 working days.