Good morning Nikhil,

Please accept my apologies but I have only just become aware of you email.

Unfortunately the RPB team cannot take freedom of information requests directly. All freedom of information requests need to be submitted via an online form to our information compliance team.

The link to the form can be found at the following page.

https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/8469/Mak...

Many thanks,

Kate Light
Swyddog Cymorth Prosiect /Project Support Officer
Gofal Cymdeithasol Oedolion a Bwrdd Partneriaeth Rhanbartho/Adult Social Care and Regional Partnership Board
Cyngor Sir Powys/Powys County Council
Ffon/Tel: 01597 827147

Working pattern: Mon-Thu 8.30am-5pm Fri 8.30am-3.30pm

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Good afternoon Nikhil,

Apologies for this follow up email but we have discovered as part of an internal audit that our reply to your previous email was incorrect. Our Information Compliance team have informed us of the correct response and asked that we forward it to you.

Recognising a valid FOI

The ICO do a good guidance document on what is and what is not a valid FOI at the following URL recognising-a-request-made-under-the-foia.pdf (ico.org.uk)

But the upshot is that if:

1) The request is in writing
2) The request includes the requestors name (That name can be a business name)
3) The request adequately describes the information required
4) The request provides a method of response

The request is likely to be valid. The stipulation that the request be in writing means that we can receive an FOI via text, email, on our webpages, via twitter etc.

So, to answer your question directly, No, a requestor does not need to submit requests to us via our webform (Although they are more than welcome to do so).

The Regional Partnership Board and PCC

The Regional Partnership board is a separate entity for the purposes of FOI. The FOI Act lists, at Schedule 1 (Freedom of Information Act 2000 (legislation.gov.uk)) , all Authorities that are bound by The Act. Powys County Council must respond to FOI's because the The Act, at Schedule 1 Paragraph 7 defines:

7 A local authority within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1972, namely-
(a )in England, a county council, a London borough council, a district council or a parish council,
(b )in Wales, a county council, a county borough council or a community council.

as an authority for the purposes of The Act. The Regional Partnership Board would not be caught under this definition.

We suspect that the Regional Partnership Board is not listed under the FOI act, Schedule 1 but we are unsure. The reason for the uncertainty is that The Act lists a number of other ways in which an entity could be captured by The Act and they are based upon the legislation which formed the entity (for example "A joint authority established under Part IV of the Local Government Act 1985" is one of the definitions). The RPB team are currently reviewing schedule 1 to determine whether the Regional Partnership Board comes under the purview of The Act and therefore whether The Partnership Board even needs to make a response to FOI requests submitted to it. Either way though, it is not appropriate for the Information Compliance Team to handle the requests submitted to The Regional Partnership Board so they would not have responded to the form if you had submitted one.

If you still require the information you asked for we are happy to try and find it for you but it would not be a request managed under the Freedom of Information Act.

Many thanks,

Kate Light
Swyddog Cymorth Prosiect /Project Support Officer
Gofal Cymdeithasol Oedolion a Bwrdd Partneriaeth Rhanbartho/Adult Social Care and Regional Partnership Board
Cyngor Sir Powys/Powys County Council
Ffon/Tel: 01597 827147

Working pattern: Mon-Thu 8.30am-5pm Fri 8.30am-3.30pm

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