Using the Publication Scheme

The copyright of material listed in the Publication Scheme is owned by Gateshead Borough Council unless otherwise stated. The supply of documents under Freedom of Information does not give the person or organisation who receives them an automatic right to re-use the documents in a way that would infringe copyright, for example by making multiple copies, publishing and issuing copies to the public.

Brief extracts may be reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the purpose of research for non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and news reporting.

If you wish to re-use any of the material listed in the publication scheme, contact us.

Authorisation for re-use of information not owned by Gateshead Borough Council should be sought from the copyright owner concerned. If in doubt users should contact us in the first instance.

The aim of our Publication Scheme is to set out:

• Details of the type of information that we currently publish or intend to publish in the future;
• How this information will be published and where you can find it;
• Whether the information is available free of charge or, if there is a charge, how much that will be;
• Before deciding whether to include specific information within a class, we have considered the public interest and if any of the exemptions to publication apply.

Classes of information

To make it easier for you to find the information that you want we have divided it into three general headings. These headings are sub-divided into 31 classes based on the types of service we provide and the information relevant to those services, like our policies and plans or how to access our services.

We will list specific documents within each class wherever possible.

Some information may appear in more than one class but we feel that this will help you find what you want because people will approach the Publication Scheme in different ways and with different requirements.

1. Gateshead Council

This section includes general information about how the Council works, how we make decisions and the information we use to promote the borough of Gateshead.

• The Council structure;
• Policies, plans and strategies;
• Reviews, inspections and performance indicators;
• Local democracy, meetings and decisions;
• Research and statistics;
• Consultation and participation;
• Public registers;
• Publicity and promotion.

2. Council Services and Functions

This heading includes general information about council services.

Activities that contribute to learning and cultural development.

• Arts and tourism;
• Education;
• Leisure activities;
• Libraries;

Community support and personal care services aimed at specific groups, like older people, children and families, and people with disabilities.

• Community development and community safety;
• Health;
• Housing management;
• Social care services;

The services that we provide in and around people's homes.

• Recycling and refuse collection;
• Repairs and maintenance (including for council tenants);
• Road maintenance and street cleaning;

The Council's involvement in new developments in the borough, the management, construction of buildings and roads, regulatory controls from planning applications through to food safety and the development of our environmental strategy.

• Architectural and property services;
• Regulatory services;
• Economic development;
• Highways and transport planning;
• Planning and building regulation;

Including information on the Council's core support services.

• Chief Executive's Department;
• Finance (including Council Tax and Benefits);
• ICT
• Human resources;
• Legal and corporate services;

3. Partnerships

This heading includes information about our partnership working.

• Partnerships and joint working;
• Reports of external bodies made to the Council;
• How to find what you want.

You should begin by reading the classes of information outlined above, then refer to the full Publication Scheme where these classes are broken down into more detail where you will find:

• A definition of the extent of information covered by the class;
• Any exemptions which are specific to this class;
• A list of published information currently available within this class;
• The format in which the information is available;
• How you can access the information;
• Details of any fee charged for a copy, other than charges made under our charging policy;
• Our employees will help you if you cannot find the information that you want.

Newly published information

Under the Freedom of Information Act we must consider publishing information that we have not made public before. We are taking this opportunity to review the information that we produce and to include new information in our Publication Scheme if we think it is in the public interest.

Information that is newly published is clearly marked in our Publication Scheme.

Our charging policy

We will be making as much information as possible available free of charge and all of our public information leaflets are freely available.

As part of our commitment to e-government we are constantly adding to the information that you can access directly on our website.

If you do not have access to the Internet at home, you can use the People's Network at public libraries or the civic centre to access our website. If you want a printout of any information from our website you will be charged at the current rate.

Some information may not be available on our website because it is only held in printed form and we may charge you the current cost of copying the document. We will let you know how much this is likely to be before we copy it for you.

Our printing or copying charge as at November 2002, when this Publication Scheme was written, is ten pence per A4 page.

Inspection of public registers is usually free of charge. We may charge for providing a copy of information on the register, if taking copies is allowed. Some registers are only available for inspection and we cannot allow you to take a copy.

Sometimes there is a specific charge laid down in law for certain information, which we will make clear beside the entry listed in the Publication Scheme.

Reviewing the Publication Scheme

Producing a Publication Scheme is a new experience for the Council and we have tried to keep it simple and easy to use.

We are required to completely revise and reissue our Publication Scheme at regular intervals.

We will be taking regular information audits and expect to include more previously unpublished information in our Publication Scheme as a result. We will also take account of any requests from the public to include information in our Publication Scheme.

If you have any comments or suggestions about how we can improve our Publication Scheme we would like to hear from you. You can use the feedback form at the end of this document.

Complaints

If you experience difficulty accessing any of the information in our Publication Scheme or have a complaint about the way we respond to your request for information please contact the Council's Information Rights Officer.

If your complaint cannot be put right at this time you can put it in writing and we will write within 28 working days to let you know the outcome. If your complaint cannot be resolved you can ask the Chief Executive in writing to review the matter.

Our leaflet 'Our Services - Your Views' gives more information about our complaints procedure. It is available from council offices and on our website.

If you are still dissatisfied you can ask the Information Commissioner to investigate:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF