Who can I request information from?
WhatDoTheyKnow covers requests to 47,100 authorities, including:
- Department for Work and Pensions 14491 requests
- Kent County Council 3103 requests
- Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council 4340 requests
- British Broadcasting Corporation 4553 requests
- Ministry of Defence 8984 requests
Looking for an EU Authority?
You can request documents directly from EU Institutions at our sister site AskTheEU.org . Find out more .

What information has been released?
WhatDoTheyKnow users have made 1,166,477 requests, including:
-
Department for Education answered a request about FAO Policy Profession Unit
about 4 hours ago
-
Bedford Borough Council answered a request about Muslim and Pakistani children receiving social care support
about 6 hours ago
-
University of York answered a request about Students and staff who left/resigned/were expelled/dismissed
about 8 hours ago
-
Lothian NHS Board answered a request about Total Bed Management
about 8 hours ago
-
Department for Work and Pensions answered a request about Not safe to stop legacy benefit
about 7 hours ago
What is Freedom of Information?
Make a request for information to a UK public authority.
By law, they have to respond.
The Freedom of Information Act, also known as FOI gives you the right to request recorded information from public authorities.
As well as documents and emails, it also covers things like spreadsheets, presentations, maps, videos and photographs.
By law requests have to be answered promptly and within 20 working days.
In most cases information should be released, but various exemptions allow authorities to withhold information.
How do I use Freedom of Information?
From coach drop off points to national borders; modern slavery to council sell-offs, Freedom of Information is a tool that everyone can use. Individual or community group; journalist or campaigner. National or local; every day or now and then. Here are just a few of the ways that it can help…
🔍 Find the evidence: Survey responses, research reports and board papers can help you to uncover the truth behind decisions and public statements.
⚖️ Compare and contrast: Compare the situation in your local area with what’s happening in other parts of the country and highlight disparities or similarities.
💰 Follow the money: Contracts, invoices and budget information let you see where public money goes, ensuring greater accountability for how funds are allocated and spent.
🧩 Fill in the gaps: You can ask a group of authorities to build or extract a dataset that didn't exist. This can fill knowledge gaps and improve public understanding of specific issues.
🤔 Understand why: Meeting minutes, policy papers and internal correspondence can help you to understand why important decisions were taken, and who is accountable for those decisions.
☀️ Promote openness: Asking for datasets can help to show that there is public demand to see it, which might persuade the authority to publish it routinely without needing to be asked.
Read our case studies for some great examples of how others have put these ideas to use.
How does WhatDoTheyKnow help?
🔀 Find the right authority: A database of 46,000+ public bodies, kept up to date by a team of staff and volunteers.
🗂️ Public archive: A permanent, searchable, public record of over one million information requests and responses.
✍️ Write your request: Inline guidance and a collection of help pages to help write your request.
🤖 Automate bureaucracy: Built in assistance and reminders to manage your request from submission to completion.
🏟️ Correspond in public: Requests and responses are automatically published online with proof of delivery to hold authorities accountable to respond.
🛑 Refusal advice: Encouragement, support, guidance and snippets to help challenge refusals at internal review, regulator appeal and tribunal.
Learn more about WhatDoTheyKnow. Want to know something? Start your own request →
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