Title

FOI

Councils handling nearly 500,000 FOI requests every year

Councils receive around 467,000 Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests every year, nearly double the number compared to estimates in 2010, a new report has revealed.

Councils receive around 467,000 Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests every year, nearly double the number compared to estimates in 2010, a new report has revealed.

E-democracy project mySociety found councils received 10 times the number of FOI requests than central government.

The report found compliance rates with the statutory 20 days deadline for replying are high in local government, with only a few isolated exceptions.

It also found one out of three councils had at least one FOI request they considered to be vexatious, with 9% having at least five in the past year.

Dr Ben Worthy, of Birkbeck College, said: ‘This report gives us a first comprehensive picture of what's happening with FOI at the local level.

'It shows that request numbers have indeed continued to grow and that local authority staff face a series of obstacles in dealing with requests.

‘Above all, it underlines the importance of FOI as a tool of local democracy.'

FOI

Shropshire 'a hair's breadth' from s114

By Martin Ford | 25 September 2025

Shropshire Council will have to rely on Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) to stave off a section 114 notice, according to a corporate peer challenge.

FOI

Councils can't wait for reform

By Joanne Pitt | 22 September 2025

Drawing on assurance work by CIPFA, Joanne Pitt sets out the challenges driving the growing reliance on Exceptional Financial Support and outlines the urgent...

FOI

It's extremely unlikely that SEND transportation is a root cause of unsustainable spending

By Jonathan Holden | 04 September 2025

Claims about free taxis for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) being ‘used and abused' are wide of the mark, and focus should inst...

FOI

How councils will fare under Fair Funding 2.0

By Jonathan Meek | 04 September 2025

Simon Christian and Jonathan Meek analyse the impact of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 on different council types and highlight the winners and losers among the...

Popular articles by Laura Sharman