www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Publication Scheme
Wiltshire County Council provides a wide range of services to the citizens of Wiltshire, either directly or through its partner organisations. These services include social services, education, public transport, libraries and museums, roads, trading standards, waste management, community and economic development.
The county council is composed of 47 councillors who are elected by and democratically accountable to the residents of their electoral divisions. The council has adopted a leader and a cabinet of portfolio holders, each of whom has responsibility for a major area of the council's service provision. The council has an annual budget in excess of £355 million.
The Freedom of Information Act is to be implemented in two phases. From 28th February 2003, Wiltshire County Council must publish a Publication Scheme which has been approved by the Information Commissioner. The purpose of the scheme is to ensure that significant amounts of information about the council are made available to the public on a routine basis. This is in line with the government's objective of ensuring that public bodies adopt a culture of openness and accountability.
Our Approach
In implementing the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Wiltshire County Council has adopted the following approach:
- the prime objective of the county council is to serve the needs of the citizens of Wiltshire - for that reason, the citizens' perspective is of key importance in determining what information should be made available;
- the council's intention is to be as open and transparent as possible - it therefore intends to publish an increasing amount of information by means of the Publication Scheme. The scheme will be kept under review and new information added as soon as practicable;
- the council's Publication Scheme and the information contained in it should be kept up to date.
Wiltshire County Council's Publication Scheme will:
- specify what information the county council publishes or intends to publish as a matter of course;
- explain how this information will be published;
- specify whether the information will be available free of charge or on payment of a fee.
Categories
Wiltshire County Council's Publication Scheme is divided into 11 broad categories based on the categories of information recommended by the government and used by the Wiltshire and Swindon Intelligence Network.
The use of broadly similar categories ensures a consistency of approach to the publication of information - if citizens are searching for information that does not relate to a service provided by the county council, it may be found in the appropriate category on the Intelligence Network page of the web site.
The 11 broad categories of information upon which the Publication Scheme is based are as follows:
- Corporate Governance
- Social Care and Health
- Education, Skills & Learning
- Social Inclusion
- Transport & Communications
- Countryside & Land-based Issues
- Housing & the Built Environment
- Crime & Community Protection
- Culture
- People, Population & Census
- Economy
Classes
The categories are further sub-divided into "classes of information", as defined by the Freedom of Information Act. The classes are intended to reflect the way in which citizens access the Council's services.
Some classes indicate that they contain exempt information that will not be made available under the Publication Scheme. There is a list of the documents published under each class.
Against the title of each document is information about how that document may be accessed, and whether or not there is a charge payable. The vast majority of the documents will be made available free of charge.
Copies of this Scheme may be obtained from the Corporate Services Department at County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire between the hours of 9.00 a.m and 4.00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.
The Scheme can be accessed on the council's web site at any time, alternatively please contact us on the details below.
Contact Details
By Post
Corporate Standards Team
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email
By Telephone
01225 713643
By Fax
01225 757572
By Hand
This can be either County Hall or via contactpoint in Salisbury Library.
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
