Freedom of Information

Dedham
Parish Council

Freedom of Information

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2005, and the guidance provided by the Information Commissioner's Office, Dedham Parish Council has adopted the "Model Publication Scheme".

"The scheme commits an authority:

To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information, including environmental information, which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
To specify the information which is held by the authority 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 authority 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."

The following list defines by category the information that the Council may be holding, the means by which the details held may be accessed, and any charges that may be levied by the Council in order to recoup their costs in providing the information. Please note that the list is a standardised guide (for national use by all Councils) and this is why some items have been ~~ruled through~~. The deleted categories relate to information that is:

not held by the Council (e.g. because it relates to matters with which the Council has no involvement), or;
is not held in a form that can readily be released (in which case the Parish Clerk will issue advice on the matter), or;
is barred from release under privacy legislation.

Information available from Dedham Parish Council under the model publication scheme

Information to be published	How the information can be obtained	Cost (the Council does not currently levy a charge, other than in respect of postal costs)
Class1 - Who we are and what we do (Organisational information, structures, locations and contacts) This will be current information only
Who’s who on the Council and its Committees	See the website www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
Contact details for Parish Clerk and Council members	Do.
~~Location of main Council office and accessibility details~~
~~Staffing structure~~

Class 2 – What we spend and how we spend it (Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit) Current and previous financial year as a minimum
Annual return form and report by auditor	Copies may be obtained from the Parish Clerk, contact details as per: www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
Finalised budget	Do.
Precept	Do.
~~Borrowing Approval letter~~
Financial Standing Orders and Regulations	As specified by Colchester Borough Council who should be consulted in this context.
Grants given and received	As specified in the minutes, see www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
~~List of current contracts awarded and value of contract~~
Members’ ~~allowances and~~ expenses	Reimbursements are detailed in the minutes, see www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk

Class 3 – What our priorities are and how we are doing (Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews)
Parish Plan (current and previous year as a minimum)	This is currently in course of preparation (Dec 2008)
Annual Report to Parish or Community Meeting (current and previous year as a minimum)	As specified in the minutes section of www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
~~Quality status~~
~~Local charters drawn up in accordance with DCLG guidelines~~

Class 4 – How we make decisions (Decision making processes and records of decisions) Current and previous council year as a minimum
Timetable of meetings (Council~~, any committee/sub-committee meetings~~ and parish meetings)	Detailed in www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
Agendas of meetings (as above)	Displayed on parish notice boards about ten days in advance of the meeting concerned.
Minutes of meetings (as above) – nb this will exclude information that is properly regarded as private to the meeting.	www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
Reports presented to council meetings - nb this will exclude information that is properly regarded as private to the meeting.	Detailed within the minutes section of www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
~~Responses to consultation papers~~
Responses to planning applications	www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
~~Bye-laws~~

Class 5 – Our policies and procedures (Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities) Current information only
Policies and procedures for the conduct of council business: Procedural standing orders Committee and sub-committee terms of reference Delegated authority in respect of officers Code of Conduct Policy statements	The Council has adopted the standing orders prescribed by Colchester Borough Council, whom should be consulted in this context.
~~Policies and procedures for the provision of services and about the employment of staff:~~ ~~Internal policies relating to the delivery of services~~ ~~Equality and diversity policy~~ ~~Health and safety policy~~ ~~Recruitment policies (including current vacancies)~~ Policies and procedures for handling requests for information Complaints procedures (including those covering requests for information and operating the publication scheme)	In accordance with the guidelines defined within this section of www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk The Council has adopted the standing orders prescribed by Colchester Borough Council who should be consulted in this context.
Information security policy	IT records are secured in accordance with sound IT practice. Paper records are physically protected.
Records management policies (records retention, destruction and archive)	All records are currently retained indefinitely.
Data protection policies	In accordance with the Data Protection Act.
Schedule of charges (for the publication of information)	No charges are currently levied in this respect, other than in respect of postal costs.

Class 6 – Lists and Registers Currently maintained lists and registers only
~~Any publicly available register or list (if any are held this should be publicised; in most circumstances existing access provisions will suffice)~~
~~Assets Register~~
Disclosure log (indicating the information that has been provided in response to requests; recommended as good practice, but may not be held by parish councils)	Standard returns are maintained by the Parish Clerk, contact details as per: www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
Register of members’ interests	Do.
Register of gifts and hospitality	Do.

Class 7 – The services we offer (Information about the services we offer, including leaflets, guidance and newsletters produced for the public and businesses) Current information only
~~Allotments~~
~~Burial grounds and closed churchyards~~
~~Community centres and village halls~~
~~Parks, playing fields and recreational facilities~~
Seating, litter bins, clocks, memorials and lighting	Detailed within the minutes section of www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk
Bus shelters	Do.
~~Markets~~
Public conveniences	Do.
~~Agency agreements~~
~~A summary of services for which the council is entitled to recover a fee, together with those fees (e.g. burial fees)~~

Additional Information This will provide Councils with the opportunity to publish information that is not itemised in the lists above
Footpaths	A detailed guide is in course of preparation (Dec. 2008) and will be published on www.dedhamparishcouncil.org.uk

Contact details:

Mrs J Flewin
Parish Clerk
Coppins,
Crown Street,
Dedham,
Colchester CO7 6AT

Tel: 01206 322215

SCHEDULE OF CHARGES

TYPE OF CHARGE	DESCRIPTION	BASIS OF CHARGE
Disbursement cost	Photocopying	The Council does not currently charge for this service

	Postage	Actual cost of Royal Mail standard 2^nd class

Statutory Fee		The Council does not currently levy a statutory fee.

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