Freedom of information

The Freedom of Information Act (the Act) became law on 30 November 2000, and is intended to foster a culture of openness in government. The Act establishes a right of access to all types of “recorded” information held by public authorities and imposes obligations on public authorities to disclose information, subject to a range of exemptions. Environmental information is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, as it has its own information access regime, the Environmental Information Regulations (2004). The HCA is subject to both the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations.

An important feature of the Act is the requirement for each public authority to maintain a publication scheme, and to proactively publish certain categories of information. Details of our publication scheme can be accessed on the HCA's Publication Scheme page.

In addition, we make a considerable amount of information available as part of our ongoing commitment to the transparency agenda.

Our Publication Scheme is available in English only. Should you require assistance in another language, please contact the Information Access Officer who will be able to advise whether this is possible. The HCA is contributed to equal opportunities and will provide appropriate assistance to persons who consider themselves to have a disability. Should you require assistance in accessing our publication scheme or making a request for information, please contact the Information Access Officer.

If you cannot find the information you are seeking in our publication scheme, or if you require information which is not routinely published, you may make a written request for information. Please write to:

Information Access Officer
Homes and Communities Agency
Central Business Exchange II
406-412 Midsummer Boulevard
Central Milton Keynes
MK9 2EA

If you wish to email your request, please use our contact form.

You may also phone to request environmental information only (under the Environmental Information Regulations) on 01908 353680.

Once we receive your request for information, we will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible. The Act requires all requests are answered within 20 working days. However, in certain circumstances it may be necessary to take a little longer to reach a decision on disclosure. If this is the case, we will write to you to advise and explain why we require additional time.

For further information on the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations, please visit the Information Commissioner’s website, where you will find further guidance.

Fees

There is no charge for making a Request for Information pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act or Environmental Information Regulations. And wherever possible, we will not charge for the provision of information. However, where the request involves extensive photocopying or printing, we will apply the following fee scale:

Please note that the resources required for the duplication of A1 plans dictate that it may be necessary to charge for these on occasion. If you require A1 plans, please contact the Information Access Officer who will be able to advise whether a charge applies. If it should prove necessary to charge for the provision of any recorded information, you will be notified of the relevant fee prior to the copying being carried out.

Please note that in consideration of our resources and the environment, we reserve the right to supply information in either a single or double sided format.

Subject Access Requests

If you wish to make a Subject Access Request, please contact:

Information Access Officer
Homes and Communities Agency
Central Business Exchange II
406-412 Midsummer Boulevard
Central Milton Keynes
MK9 2EA

Subject Access Requests made under the Data Protection act 1998 are subject to a £10.00 fee, which must be paid in full before research can be undertaken. Applicants will also be required to supply sufficient information to enable us to locate the data. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 we will not release personal information to third parties without the written consent of the data subject(s).

Further information

Should you have any questions regarding the HCA’s handling of information access issues, require any assistance with formulating a request or accessing our publication scheme, please contact the Information Access Officer via the Contact us page.