What is recorded information? - FOI

Information is defined in the Act as ‘information recorded in any form’. Therefore, the right of access under the legislation extends to all recorded information held by the Council, regardless of the format or storage medium.

Examples include: paper records, computer files, printed documents, letters, emails, photos, pictures, written notes, audio and video recordings etc.

Please note non-recorded information is not covered by the Act. For example, asking someone for their opinion on a decision that has not been made yet. The Council is also not required to create new information to respond to requests.

Retention of information -

The Council retains different types of information for different lengths of time. The different types of information, and the length of time they are retained for is set out in the Council’s Record Retention Schedule - https://legacy.tendringdc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Retention%20Schedule%20All%20Depts-%20Final.pdf