Dear Maddie Cross

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request, which was received by
Vale of White Horse District Council on 12 January 2024

Please accept this email as confirmation that your request has been
received and is being considered by the relevant department and that a
response will be sent to you within 20 working days, subject to the
information not being exempt and subject to any need for clarification.

The deadline for this will be 9 February 2024

The reference number for this request is Vale 23/913

I trust that this email is sufficient to assure you that your request is
being dealt with. However, should you have any queries in the meantime,
please do not hesitate to contact the FOI team at
[1][Vale of White Horse District Council request email]

Kind regards

Information Governance Team

Legal & Democratic Services

Vale of White Horse District Council

[2]www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk

We’ve moved – our address is now:

Abbey House
Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE

Please update your records.

To find out more about how the council holds, uses and stores your
personal data, please click on the link below

[3]Vale of White Horse District Council

show quoted sections

Dear Maddie Cross,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request to South Oxfordshire
District Council (Ref. 23/1084) and Vale of White Horse District Council
(Ref. 23/913).  Please note that the two councils operate as a shared
service, hence this joint response. 

Under Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 2000 Act) you
are entitled to be informed in writing whether the council holds the
information specified in your request and, if that is the case, to have
that information communicated to you unless any of the statutory
exemptions apply.  I have considered your request and can confirm we do
hold some of the information asked and I do not believe any of the
statutory exemptions apply to your request.  Please find below the
information you requested (where available). 

Your request asked for each council all documents, briefings, emails,
communications to newly elected councillors following the local elections
relating to them beginning their new role.  

The two councils provided a councillors’ induction programme shortly after
the May 2023 district council elections.  Attached for each council are
copies of the welcome letter from the council to the new councillors,
together with a copy of the councillors’ guide.  The council invites all
newly elected and re-elected councillors to a welcome event and in the
following weeks provided several online and in person training sessions. 
These are highlighted on the last page of the councillors’ guides. 

Please treat this as the councils’ formal response under the 2000 Act.  If
you are not satisfied with the decision I have made in response to your
request, you can make a request for an internal review by emailing
[1][email address] within 40 working days from the date we issued our
response.  If you remain dissatisfied after following that procedure, you
have the right under Section 50 of the 2000 Act to complain to the
Information Commissioner if you feel the council has not dealt with your
request properly. You can contact the Commissioner at Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF (telephone number: 0303 123 1113).
You can also find further information at [2]www.ico.org.uk. 

Regards,

Steve Culliford

Democratic Services Team Leader

Legal and Democratic

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils

[3][email address]

References

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/
3. mailto:[email address]