The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) gives everyone the right to request written or recorded information held by Essex County Council. Personal information held by Essex County Council is covered by the Data Protection Act.

The Environmental Information Regulations Act 2004 (EIR) gives everyone access to information held by Essex County Council that relates specifically to the environment, including the state of water, air, animals and plant life across the county.

Requests for information under the FOI or EIR Acts can be made via email or in writing. Once you have made a request you will receive an acknowledgement and your request should be answered within 20 working days, although in certain circumstances we are allowed to take longer to respond. For more details about what you can expect from us see the Information Commissioner's website. Some information may be withheld to protect various interests. This is allowed under the terms of the FOI and EIR Acts. If we withhold information for these reasons, we will tell you why.

Under certain circumstances, Essex County Council is allowed to make a charge for information that is provided to you. Information about the charges we make is contained within the Essex County Council Information Charging Policy.

We make a lot of information available through the publication scheme. Before making a freedom of information request, you may like to check if the information you require has already been published.