How to File an FOI Request in the UK

What the Freedom of Information Act Covers

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is one of the most powerful tools available to UK journalists. It gives anyone the right to request information held by public authorities, including government departments, local councils, the NHS, police forces, schools, and universities. Thousands of major news stories each year originate from FOI requests, from expense scandals to public health failings.

The FOI Act applies to over 100,000 public authorities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own legislation — the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 — which operates similarly but with some differences in exemptions and timescales. The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) provide additional rights to access environmental data.

You can request any recorded information held by a public authority. This includes documents, emails, spreadsheets, databases, meeting minutes, reports, CCTV footage, and more. You do not need to explain why you want the information, and the authority cannot refuse simply because they do not like the reason for your request.

Step 1: Identify the Right Authority

Before filing your request, make sure you are sending it to the correct body. Information is held by the authority that created or received it. For example:

• NHS spending data — the relevant NHS Trust or Integrated Care Board
• School inspection reports — Ofsted or the school itself
• Police complaint statistics — the relevant police force or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
• Government policy documents — the relevant government department
• Local planning decisions — the local council

Step 2: Draft Your Request

Your FOI request must be in writing (email is fine), include your real name, and describe the information you want clearly enough for the authority to identify it. Here are key principles for writing effective requests:

• Be specific: “All spending on consultants by the Department of Health between January 2025 and December 2025” is better than “information about government spending.”
• Be reasonable in scope: Overly broad requests may be refused on cost grounds. Authorities can refuse if the request would cost more than £450 to process (£600 for central government).
• Ask for data in a usable format: Request spreadsheets rather than PDFs where possible. You have the right to specify the format under Section 11 of the Act.
• Avoid jargon: Use plain language that a non-specialist can understand. FOI officers may not be experts in the subject area of your request.

Step 3: Template for Your Request

Here is a template you can adapt for your own FOI requests. Download ready-to-use versions from our FOI templates page.

Dear [Authority Name],

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request the following information:

[Describe the information clearly and specifically]

I would prefer to receive this information electronically, in spreadsheet format where applicable.

If any part of this request is unclear, please contact me for clarification before refusing any element. If the cost of complying with the full request exceeds the appropriate limit, I would be grateful if you could advise me on how to narrow the request to bring it within the cost limit.

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as required by the Act.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name]

Step 4: Understand the Timescales

Public authorities must respond to FOI requests within 20 working days. If they need to consider the public interest test (for qualified exemptions), they may extend this period, but they must tell you why and give you an estimated response date. In practice, many authorities breach these deadlines, particularly for complex requests.

Step 5: Dealing with Refusals

Authorities can refuse FOI requests under various exemptions. The most commonly cited include:

• Section 12 (Cost): The request exceeds the cost limit. Consider narrowing your request or splitting it into multiple smaller requests (but be aware of Section 12(4) aggregation rules).
• Section 14 (Vexatious): The authority considers the request vexatious or repeated. This exemption is frequently misused and can be challenged.
• Section 36 (Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs): A qualified exemption requiring a public interest test.
• Section 40 (Personal data): Information that would identify individuals. Consider whether you can request the data in anonymised or aggregated form.
• Section 43 (Commercial interests): Information that would prejudice commercial interests. This exemption is often over-applied by authorities.

For a full breakdown of all 23 exemptions, see our FOI exemptions guide.

Step 6: Internal Review and the ICO

If your request is refused, you have the right to request an internal review. The authority must reconsider its decision, ideally by someone who was not involved in the original response. If the internal review upholds the refusal, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

The ICO can order the authority to disclose the information. Its decisions can be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights), and from there to the Upper Tribunal and the courts. While this process can take months, some of the most significant FOI stories have resulted from successful appeals.

Advanced FOI Techniques

Experienced FOI journalists use several strategies to maximise their success rate:

• Round-robin requests: Send the same request to multiple authorities (e.g., all 43 police forces) to build a national picture. Use WhatDoTheyKnow.com to manage multiple requests.
• Follow-up requests: When you receive a partial disclosure, use the information to craft more targeted follow-up requests.
• Disclosure logs: Check the authority's disclosure log for previous FOI responses that might contain the information you need, saving you the time of filing a new request.
• EIR requests: Environmental Information Regulations have fewer exemptions than FOI and no cost limit (though authorities can charge a reasonable fee). If your request relates to the environment, consider filing under EIR instead.
• Subject Access Requests: If you are investigating a specific individual's treatment by a public body (and have their consent), a Subject Access Request under UK GDPR may yield information that FOI would not.

Practical Checklist

Use this before filing and when chasing a request:

• Confirmed the correct public authority holds the information
• Searched the authority's disclosure log and WhatDoTheyKnow before filing
• Request is in writing, includes your real name, and describes information with sufficient specificity
• Requested preferred format (spreadsheet / CSV) under Section 11
• Kept a copy of the request and the date sent
• Diarised the 20 working day deadline
• If refused: recorded the specific exemption(s) cited
• If refused: requested internal review within 40 working days of refusal
• If internal review upheld refusal: submitted ICO complaint

Common Mistakes

• Requests that are too broad: “All emails about HS2” will almost certainly be refused on cost grounds. Narrow to a specific period, specific officers, and specific subject matter.
• Sending to the wrong authority: A request to the Department of Health about a local hospital may be redirected or refused — send it to the NHS Trust that runs the hospital.
• Not specifying a format: Without a format preference, authorities may send large tables as unstructured PDFs. Invoke Section 11 in every request.
• Missing the internal review deadline: Most authorities require internal review requests to be submitted within 40 working days of the original refusal.
• Assuming refusal means no: Section 14 (vexatious) and Section 12 (cost) refusals are both frequently over-used and successfully challenged at internal review and ICO stage.
• Conflating FOI with EIR: Environmental information has different (and often weaker) exemptions. If your story touches on planning, pollution, or nature, consider EIR instead of or alongside FOI.

Red Flags

• An authority that routinely exceeds the 20 working day deadline without acknowledging the request
• Refusals that cite Section 36 (prejudice to public affairs) without an accompanying public interest test explanation
• Vague “commercial sensitivity” (Section 43) refusals on contracts that appear to be straightforward public services
• An authority that issues a Section 12 (cost) refusal without offering to help you narrow the request
• Refusals signed by a communications officer rather than the designated FOI officer — this can indicate the decision was politically rather than legally driven

Primary Sources

• Freedom of Information Act 2000 — full text on legislation.gov.uk
• Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 — legislation.gov.uk
• Environmental Information Regulations 2004 — legislation.gov.uk
• ICO Freedom of Information Guidance — Information Commissioner's Office
• Scottish Information Commissioner (OSIC) — FOISA guidance and decision notices
• WhatDoTheyKnow — track and manage FOI requests online
• FOI Request Templates — ready-to-use templates for common request types
• FOI Exemptions Guide — all 23 exemptions explained