Guide to Information

Publication Scheme

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Worcester City Council is required to increase access to the information it holds, and part of the Act requires the provision of a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a description of the kinds of information that a public authority should make routinely available.

The Information Commissioner's Office has prepared and approved a model publication scheme on which Worcester City Council's Publication Scheme is based. It includes details on the following areas:

• Who we are and what we do
• What we spend and how we spend it
• The services we offer
• What our priorities are and how we are doing
• How we make decisions
• Our policies and procedures
• Lists and registers

Access the full publication scheme.

Local Government Transparency Code

To promote openness and transparency, The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has issued the Local Government Transparency Code 2014 to meet the Government's desire to place more power into citizens' hands to increase democratic accountability and make it easier for local people to contribute to the local decision making process and help shape public services.

The information we publish under the transparency code includes:

• Expenditure and procurement
• Property
• Grants
• Fraud
• Organisation Information

Access the information published in accordance with the Local Government Transparency Code

Fair Processing Notice

National Fraud Initiative – Fair Processing Notice (Cabinet Office)

This authority is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. It may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for; auditing, or administering public funds, or where undertaking a public function, in order to prevent and detect fraud.

The Cabinet Office is responsible for carrying out data matching exercises.

Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other computer records held by the same or another body to see how far they match. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found it may indicate that there is an inconsistency which requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.

We participate in the Cabinet Office's National Fraud Initiative: a data matching exercise to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. We are required to provide particular sets of data to the Minister for the Cabinet Office for matching for each exercise..

The use of data by the Cabinet Office in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice.

View further information on the Cabinet Office's legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular information.

For further information on data matching at this authority please call us on 01905 722051.

Commonly Requested Information and Submitting a Request

Worcester City Council receives regular requests of a similar nature for specific information. Some of this information we are already obliged to make available under relevant legislation, however there is other data that we choose to publish in order to aid requestors by providing instant access to the information. 

We receive numerous requests for information for the following items, and so have pulled together links to the relevant datasets, lists and registers in our ‘Commonly Requested Information’ pages. This information includes:

• Business Rates Datasets
• Expenditure over £250
• Contracts Register
• Licencing Public Registers
• Planning Applications
• HMO Register
• Council/Social Housing
• Tower Blocks

Find out about any of the above, or submit a request for information