Freedom of Information: What to Ask Your Council

Why FOI works

In the UK, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives you the right to request recorded information from public bodies — including councils, water companies and grid operators. They must respond within 20 working days. It's free, you don't need a reason, and refusals must be justified.

How to send one

Email the council's FOI team (usually foi@[council].gov.uk). Keep it in writing, date it, and ask for specific recorded information — not opinions. Number your questions. If they refuse, you can ask for an internal review, then complain to the ICO.

Template 1: Water use

"Please provide the total volume of water (in cubic metres) supplied to [name of data centre site / planning reference] in each of the last 12 months, and the projected annual water demand stated in the planning application. Please also state whether the site uses evaporative cooling and whether any water efficiency conditions were applied."

Template 2: Energy and grid

"Please provide: (1) the declared power capacity in megawatts for the data centre at [site]; (2) any correspondence with the Distribution Network Operator regarding grid connection capacity; and (3) details of any conditions requiring the applicant to demonstrate available grid capacity."

Template 3: Noise complaints

"Please provide the number of noise complaints received regarding [site] since it became operational, the dates of each complaint, the outcome of each investigation, and details of any enforcement action taken."

Template 4: Planning conditions and compliance

"Please list all planning conditions attached to planning permission [reference] for [site], state which have been discharged and when, and provide copies of any documents submitted to discharge conditions relating to noise, water and construction management."

Template 5: Jobs and benefits

"Please provide any information held regarding the number of jobs the development at [site] was projected to create, and any information held on the actual number of jobs created to date, including any Section 106 monitoring reports."

Tips that get better answers

• Ask for specific documents by name — "reports", "correspondence", "monitoring returns".
• Give a time window — "since 1 January 2024" — to keep responses manageable.
• If the first answer is vague, ask a follow-up. You're entitled to clarification.
• Share your results — councils answer differently to each other, and comparison is powerful.

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