Introduction
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 all public authorities must publish a ‘Publication Scheme’. This is a guide to specific information held by the authority. The model used by Somerset County Council is one that is for ‘principal local authorities’ as defined by the Information Commissioner’ s Office. The model provides for the following classes of information:
Who we are and what we do.
Organisational information, locations and contacts, and constitutional and legal governance.
What we spend and how we spend it.
Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, tendering, procurement, and contracts.
What our priorities are and how we are doing.
Strategy and performance information, plans, assessments, inspections, and reviews.
How we make decisions.
Policy proposals and decisions, decision making processes, internal criteria and procedures, and consultations.
Our policies and procedures.
Current written protocols for delivering our functions and responsibilities.
Lists and registers.
Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers, relating to the functions of the authority.
The services we offer.
Advice and guidance, booklets and leaflets, transactions and media releases. A description of the services offered.
These headings are broad and may include a number of different documents. We are not required to publish information where it would be impractical or resource-intensive to prepare this material for routine release.
We aim for as much of this information as possible to be available on our website. We are not required to show the information on our website by the classes or headings of the scheme. The following table will assist you in finding the location of the information you may seek on our website. The links might result in just one document or to a collection of documents.
Where it is impracticable to make information available on our website or where you do not wish to access the information by the web we will inform you how you can obtain it by other means.
Material published and accessed on our website is provided free of charge. Information provided by other means may involve a charge, though we will always strive to ensure these are justifiable and kept to a minimum.
Information held by Somerset County Council that is not published under this scheme can be requested in writing, where its provision will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If we feel it would be helpful to publish this information we will add it to our web site.
If you have any comments, queries or complaints about the Publication Scheme, please contact:
The Information Governance Team
Somerset County Council
County Hall
Taunton
TA1 4DY
Phone 01823 357194
Email: informationgovernance@somerset.gov.uk
Further information about Publication Schemes and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 can also be found on the Information Commissioner’ s website.
Who we are and what we do
| Definition document heading | Our explanation |
|---|---|
| Council constitution | This information can be found on the Council’s Constitution page |
| Council democratic structure | This information can be found on the Council’s Constitution page. |
| Council structure | The latest structures can be found on our Organisation Charts page. Further information can also be found in the following section: Partnerships |
| Location and opening times of Council properties | This information can be found on the contact section of most of our pages. Here are some of our frequently viewed pages: Council Libraries Registration Offices Waste recycling centres (Somerset Waste Partnership) Some of these pages may include links to relevant information from other councils and organisations in Somerset. Somerset County Council information is indicated by our logo. |
| Currently elected Councillors’ information and contact details | This information can be found on the Your Councillors page. |
| Contact details for all customer-facing department | This information can be found on the Contact us page. |
| Most recent election results | This information can be found on the election results page. |
| Relationships with other authorities | This information can be found on the List of key partnerships page. |
What we spend and how we spend it
(Please note: anything with significant financial implications for the council will be subject to a decision by members and, where possible, will be discussed in public.)
| Definition document heading | Our explanation |
|---|---|
| Financial statements, budgets and variance reports | This information can be found in the Our information section. |
| Capital programme | The capital investment program is detailed in the Medium Term Financial Plan report found under Information and resources on the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) page. |
| Financial audit reports | External financial audit reports are available under Council Meeting Reports for the Audit Committee, the Audit and Resources Sub-Committee, and the Scrutiny Audit and Best Value Sub-Committee. |
| The members’ allowances scheme and the allowances paid under it to Councillors each year | The Members allowances information can be found on our member allowances page. |
| Staff allowances and expenses | Please submit a Freedom of Information Request if you would like to obtain this information. |
| Pay and grading structure | This information can be found in the Senior salaries and pay policy section. |
| Election Expenses | Election expenses are available for public inspection for 2 years from their submission date. Please submit a Freedom of Information Request if you would like to obtain this information. |
| Procurement procedures | somerset.gov.uk/business-and-economy/do-business-with-the-council/">Contract Opportunities page shows current tendering and contract opportunities in accordance with their contract procedure rules. |
| Private Equity Holdings | The Somerset County Council Pension Fund is committed to the highest levels of transparency and meeting our obligations under Freedom of Information. Over a number of years we have consistently received requests for information specifically relating to the Fund’s private equity holdings. We are now committed to publishing this information here proactively every six months rather than responding to FOI requests. |
Contracts
| Definition heading | Our explanation |
|---|---|
| Details of contracts being tendered | You can find the contracts currently being tendered under opportunities on the e-tender portal |
| List of contracts awarded and their value | Information is available under Contract Store for Somerset County Council on the e-tender portal |
| Internal financial regulations | Somerset County Council’s Financial Regulations can be found in The Council’s Constitution under ‘Part 2: Rules and Procedures’. This document is available under Information and Resources on the Council’s Constitution page. |
| Funding for partnership arrangements | This information can be found in section 11 of the ‘2012 to 2015 Medium Term Financial Plan’ on the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) page. |
| Treasury Management Strategy | This information can be found in the papers from the February County Council meeting: Treasury Management Strategy Report Policy Statement (Appendix A) Lending Criteria (Appendix B) Rate Forecast (Appendix C) Transport Management Practices (Appendix D) |
| Annual Statement of Accounts | This information can be found on the Budgets and accounts page. |
Our priorities
| Definition document heading | Our explanation |
|---|---|
| Annual reports | Our performance reports are now produced four times a year (replacing annual reports). This information can be found on the Our Performance page. |
| Strategies and business plans for services provided by the council | This information can be found via the below links: Exmoor National Park Management Plan Future Transport Plan Minerals and Waste Policy The Regeneration Delivery Plan The Renewable energy strategy can be found on the Energy management page Rights of Way Improvement Plan Waste Planning Policy |
| Strategies developed in partnership with other authorities | This information can be found on our partnerships page. |
| Economic development action plan | This information can be found on the Economic information page. |
| Forward plan | This information can be found on the following pages: County Plan Cabinet – Forward Plan |
| Capital strategy | This information can be found on our Budgets and accounts page. |
| Statistical information produced in accordance with the Council’s and departmental requirements | Statistical information can be found from the Somerset Intelligence Network (SINe). SINe is a network of professionals working for a range of organisations across Somerset, who are specialists in statistics, data, research, consultation or other forms of information gathering. |
| Impact assessments | Impact assessments |
| Service standards | Please submit a Freedom of Information Request to obtain this information. |
How we make decisions
| Definition document heading | Our explanation |
|---|---|
| Timetable of council meetings | This information can be found on the Council Meetings page. |
| Agendas, officers’ reports, background papers and minutes of Council Committee, Sub-Committee and standing forum meetings | This information can be found on the Council Meetings page. |
| Major policy proposals and decisions | You can view major policy proposals and decisions and you can also search for notice of proposed key decisions on the Council Meetings page. |
| Facts and analysis of facts considered when framing major policies | This information is included in reports to the County Council, previous Executive Board, Cabinet and other Committees. Details can be found on the Council’s Constitution page. |
| Public consultations | This information can be found on the Consultations and engagement page. |
| Internal communications guidance, criteria used for decision-making, internal instructions, manuals and guidelines | Please submit a Freedom of Information Request to obtain this information. |
Our policies and procedures
| Definition document heading | Our explanation |
|---|---|
| Policies and procedures for conducting council business | This information can be found on the Council’s Constitution page. |
| Policies and procedures for delivering our services | These can be found in each section of our website on service pages. If you cannot find a specific policy please submit a Freedom of Information Request |
| Policies and procedures about the recruitment and employment of staff | This information can be found on the jobs pages. |
| Customer service | This information can be found on the contact us page. |
| Records management and personal data policies | This information can be found on our Privacy Notices. |
| Charging regimes and policies | Somerset County Council makes a charge for some publications. Details of publications which attract a charge, the cost and details of how to request and pay is provided within the relevant sections of our website: Somerset Road Safety – Collision Data Roads and Transport – Road Records |
List of registers
Services provided by the council
| Definition document heading | Our explanation |
|---|---|
| Regulatory and licensing responsibilities | Information that falls under these headings makes up the majority of information available through this website, which serves as our publication scheme. Significant amounts of information can be found on this site using the available search facility. Information not available on this site may be available under the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information Regulations. In some cases, the Council makes a charge for information and, where this is the case, details will be found in the relevant service section of this site. |
| Services for local businesses | |
| Services for other organisations | |
| Services for members of the public | |
| Services for which the Council is entitled to recover a fee together with those fees | |
| Information for visitors to the area, leisure information, events, museums, libraries and archive collections | |
| Leaflets, booklets and newsletters | |
| Advice and guidance | |
| Media releases | This information can be found on the Somerset Newsroom |
| Election information | This information can be found on the Council Elections page. |