Freedom of Information requests
Freedom of Information Requests
Anyone - from anywhere in the world - has a right to see almost any kind of recorded information held by West Lothian Council, however old the information is. You do not have to say why you want the information or what you want it for and we are obliged to respond to all information requests we receive promptly and within 20 working days of receipt.
If you would like to make a FOI request, please complete our online form:
Make a Freedom of Information Request (opens new window)
Alternatively you can put your request in writing or another recordable format and send to: Customer Services, West Lothian Council, West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 6FF.
Re-use of Information
Provision of information under access legislation such as the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act does not mean that the recipient has an automatic right to re-use that information, for example to publish it, or adapt it in some way. Most of the information that West Lothian Council provides in response to Freedom of Information requests will be subject to copyright protection and permission to re-use it will be required. In most cases the copyright will be owned by West Lothian Council. The copyright on other information may be owned by another person or organisation, as indicated on the information itself.
Where it is confirmed in writing, you will be free to use any information supplied for your own non-commercial research or private study purposes . The written permission may also state that the information can be used for any other purpose allowed by a limitation or exception in copyright law, such as news reporting. There may be further conditions, such as:
- Any use must be in context and must not be misleading;
- Any other type of re-use, for example by publishing the information in digital or analogue form, including on the internet, will require the permission of the copyright owner.
It may be that permission will not be granted, in which case a reason for refusal will be provided.
If you wish to make an application to re-use information supplied to you, further information can be found on the page about re-use of public sector information.
In all cases you should assume that the re-use of the information is not permitted unless you have been specifically informed that you are allowed to re-use the information.
For information where the copyright is owned by another person or organisation, you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their permission.
Appeals
If you have made a request and are unhappy with the response from West Lothian Council or have not had a response, you have the right to request a review by the authority. Please address any requests for an internal review to:
Carol Johnston, Chief Solicitor, West Lothian Council, West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 6FF or email: carol.johnston@westlothian.gov.uk
Scottish Information Commissioner
If you have already been through the two steps of request and request for review and are still not happy, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner, who can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9DS. Telephone: 01334 464610 Fax: 01334 464611; e-mail: enquiries@foi.scot
