Information Access and Use: Publication Scheme

Introduction

This publication scheme commits Southampton City Council (SCC) to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The information covered is included in the classes of information mentioned below, where this information is held by the authority.

The scheme commits SCC:

• To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information, including environmental information, which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
• To specify the information which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
• To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information in line with the statements contained within this scheme.
• To produce and publish the methods by which the specific information is made routinely available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public.
• To review and update on a regular basis the information the authority makes available under this scheme.
• To produce a schedule of any fees charged for access to information which is made proactively available.
• To make this publication scheme available to the public.
• To publish any dataset held by the authority that has been requested, and any updated versions it holds, unless the authority is satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so; to publish the dataset, where reasonably practicable, in an electronic form that is capable of re-use; and, if any information in the dataset is a relevant copyright work and the public authority is the only owner, to make the information available for re-use under the terms of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, if they apply, and otherwise under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act section 19. The term ‘dataset’ is defined in section 11(5) of the Freedom of Information Act. The term ‘relevant copyright work’ is defined in section 19(8) of that Act.

The classes of information below contain links to the location of the information on the Council’s website, or provides details on how copies of this information can be obtained.

Classes of Information

Who we are and what we do

Organisational information, structures, locations and contacts.

• Council constitution
• Council democratic structure
• Organisational chart (see part 7 of the Council Constitution)
• Currently elected councillors’ information and contact details
• Contact details for all customer-facing departments
• Most recent election results
• Relationships with other authorities
• Outside Appointments

What we spend and how we spend it

Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, tendering, procurement and contracts:

• Financial statement, budgets and variance reports
• Capital programme
• Audit Reports  (Available through Governance Committee Reports)
• Financial audit reports
• The members’ allowances scheme and the allowances paid under it to councillors each year
• Staff allowances and expenses (Available through Pay Policy Statement)
• Pay and grading structure (Available through please see SCC Pay Scales)
• Election expenses (returns or declarations and accompanying documents relating to election expenses sent to the council)
• Procurement procedures
• Details of contracts and tenders to businesses and to voluntary community and social enterprise sector
• Details of grants to the voluntary community and social enterprise sector
• District auditor’s report (Available through Governance Committee Reports)
• Financial statements for projects and events and previous years
• Internal financial regulations (contained within Part 4 of the Council Constitution)
• Funding for partnership arrangements

What our priorities are and how we are doing

Strategy and performance information, plans, assessments, inspections and reviews:

• Annual reports
• Council’s Performance
• Forward Plan
• Strategies and business plans for services provided by the council
• Council Strategies
• Key statistics for Southampton
• Internal and external organisation performance reviews, including external audits (Available through Governance Committee Reports)
• Strategies developed in partnership with other authorities
• Freedom of Information request – Current progress and historic statistics

How we make decisions

Policy proposals and decisions. Decision making processes, internal criteria and procedures, consultations:

• Timetable of Council meetings
• Agendas, officers’ reports, background papers and minutes of council committee, subcommittee and standing forum meetings
• Major policy proposals and decisions
• Facts and analyses of facts considered when framing major policies
• Public consultations
• Timetable of Governance Commitee meetings

Our policies and procedures

Current written protocols for delivering our functions and responsibilities:

• Policies and procedure for conducting council business
• Policies and procedures for delivering our services 
• Conditions of Service handbook (available on request, please contact pay@southampton.gov.uk)
• Access to Information
• Pay policy statement
• Policies and procedures about the recruitment and employment of staff (available on request, please contact hr.pay@southampton.gov.uk)
• Employee Relations procedure, such as Disciplinary Rules and Procedures (available on request, please contact pay@southampton.gov.uk)
• Terms and Conditions of Employment - the general terms and conditions of employment with the Council (available on request, please contact pay@southampton.gov.uk)
• Health and Safety Policy - Safe Working Procedures for the Council (available on request, please contact pay@southampton.gov.uk)
• Equal Opportunities Policy (available on request, please contact pay@southampton.gov.uk)
• Current vacancies
• Customer services
• Complaints procedure
• Records management (available on request from records.management@southampton.gov.uk)
• Retention Schedule (available on request from management@southampton.gov.uk)
• Charging regimes and policies:
  • Charging Policy (available through Access to Information Charging Policy)
  • Research Service and Copy Charges
  • Access to contaminated land information
  • Local Land Charges Search and Fees

Lists and Registers

Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the authority:

• Public registers and registers held as public records:
  • Licensing Records and Applications
  • Planning Records and Applications
  • HMO Licences (Copy available on request to hmo@southampton.gov.uk)
  • Pollution Permit Holders
  • Asset of Community Value Register
  • Southampton byelaws
  • Southampton Historic Environment Record (HER)
  • Register of Member’s Interests
  • Council public land and building assets
  • Food premises register (available on request, please contact environmental.health@southampton.gov.uk)
  • Register of stray dogs seized (available on request, please contact animal.welfare@southampton.gov.uk)
  • Gift and hospitality register
  • Asset registers and information asset register (available on request, please contact Information@southampton.gov.uk)
  • CCTV Map
  • FOI Logs
  • Public Health Act - List of funerals
  • Highways, footpaths etc. map
  • Rights of way
  • Common Land Map
  • Register of electors
  • Open data
  • Interactive Map of Southampton

The services we offer

Advice and guidance, booklets and leaflets, transactions and media releases. A description of the services offered.

• A-Z of services
• News releases
• Advice

Additional Information

The classes of information will not generally include:

• Information the disclosure of which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure.
• Information in draft form.

Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

The method by which information published under this scheme will be made available

SCC has indicated clearly to the public what information is covered by this scheme and how it can be obtained.

Where it is within the capability of SCC, information will be provided on its website. Where it is impracticable to make information available on its website or when an individual does not wish to access the information by the website, SCC has indicated how information can be obtained by other means, and will provide it by those means.

In exceptional circumstances some information may be available only by viewing in person. Where this manner is specified, contact details are provided. An appointment to view the information will be arranged within a reasonable timescale.

Information will be provided in the language in which it is held or in such other language that is legally required. Where SCC is legally required to translate any information, it will do so.

Obligations under disability and discrimination legislation and any other legislation to provide information in other forms and formats will be adhered to when providing information in accordance with this scheme.

Charges which may be made for Information published under this scheme

The purpose of this scheme is to make the maximum amount of information readily available at minimum inconvenience and cost to the public. Charges made by SCC for routinely published material will be justified and transparent and kept to a minimum.

Material which is published and accessed on a website will be provided free of charge.

Charges may be made for information subject to a charging regime specified by Parliament.

Charges may be made for actual disbursements incurred such as:

• Photocopying
• Postage and packaging
• The costs directly incurred as a result of viewing information

Charges may also be made for information provided under this scheme where they are legally authorised, they are in all the circumstances, including the general principles of the right of access to information held by public authorities, justified and are in accordance with a published schedule or schedules of fees which is readily available to the public.

Charges may also be made for making datasets (or parts of datasets) that are relevant copyright works available for re-use. These charges will be in accordance with the terms of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, where they apply, or with regulations made under section 11B of the Freedom of Information Act, or with other statutory powers of the public authority.

If a charge is to be made, confirmation of the payment due will be given before the information is provided. Payment may be requested prior to provision of the information.

Written Requests

Information held by SCC that is not published under this scheme can be requested in writing, when its provision will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.