FOI Starter Pack for UK Journalists
Six tools and templates covering the full Freedom of Information lifecycle — from drafting your first request to filing an ICO complaint. Free, no signup required.
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Who this pack is for
This pack is designed for journalists who are new to Freedom of Information requests, or who want to systematise their FOI workflow. Whether you are a staff reporter filing your first request to a council, a freelancer building a data-driven investigation, or a student journalist learning the basics, this pack gives you everything you need without having to search across multiple pages.
The pack covers the entire FOI lifecycle: calculating your deadline before you hit send, building a compliant request, choosing from 15 ready-made templates for specific authority types, challenging a refusal with an internal review, escalating to the ICO if needed, and deciding whether EIR is a better route than FOIA for environmental information requests. All tools are free and work without an account.
What’s included
Six tools and templates — click any card to open it directly.
FOI Deadline Calculator
Enter the date you sent your request and get the exact 20-working-day deadline, accounting for UK public holidays.
FOI Request Builder
Generate a compliant, personalised FOI request for any UK public authority type in under two minutes.
15-Template Library
Ready-to-use templates for standard requests, NHS, police, council, spending, procurement, datasets, and more.
Internal Review Template
Challenge a refusal with a structured internal review request that cites the correct exemption by section number.
ICO Complaint Template
Escalate to the Information Commissioner's Office after a failed internal review using this step-by-step complaint draft.
EIR vs FOI Selector
Instantly determine whether your request falls under FOIA 2000 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
First-Tier Tribunal Appeal Guide
How to appeal an ICO decision notice to the First-Tier Tribunal (Information Rights): grounds, timescales, and how to draft your grounds of appeal.
Cost Dispute Template
Challenge a cost-based refusal with a letter that requests a cost breakdown and proposes a narrower version of your request to bring it under the appropriate limit.
How to use this pack
- 1
Identify your target authority and information
Before drafting anything, confirm the authority is subject to FOIA. Most UK public authorities are — government departments, councils, NHS trusts, police forces, schools, and many quangos. Then write a clear, specific description of the information you want. Avoid broad topic requests; describe the actual records or data.
- 2
Choose the right regime: FOI or EIR
Use the EIR vs FOI Selector to determine whether your request is environmental in nature. If it is, EIR gives you a better chance of disclosure. If not, proceed with FOIA. When in doubt, cite both regimes in your request.
- 3
Build your request
Use the FOI Request Builder for a fully customised request, or pick from the 15-template library for standard authority types (NHS, police, council, spending). Fill in all [BRACKET] placeholders before sending. Add the FOI Deadline Calculator output to your notes so you know exactly when to chase.
- 4
Track and chase
Log each request with its reference number, authority, submission date, and 20-working-day deadline. If no response arrives by the deadline, send a chaser using the Follow-up template. Keep every email in a dedicated folder.
- 5
Escalate if needed
If the authority refuses or partially refuses, use the Internal Review Template to challenge the decision. If the internal review upholds the refusal, use the ICO Complaint Template to escalate to the regulator. The ICO is free to use and can order disclosure.
Red flags — common FOI pitfalls to avoid
- Requesting opinion, analysis, or a new document to be created — FOIA only covers recorded information that already exists; authorities are not obliged to create new records in response.
- Addressing the request to the wrong authority — confirm the body is subject to FOIA before sending; private companies and charities are generally not covered unless exercising public functions.
- Using vague or overly broad language — “all correspondence about X” is harder for an authority to refuse on cost grounds if narrowed to a specific time period, format, or category.
- Forgetting the 20-working-day clock — weekends and public holidays do not count; use the Deadline Calculator rather than counting calendar days manually.
- Accepting a refusal without requesting an internal review — internal review is a free and mandatory step before ICO escalation, and authorities sometimes reverse their decisions.
- Failing to note the exemption cited — a refusal without citing a specific exemption under FOIA s.17 is itself a breach; record this as a ground of complaint to the ICO.
- Publishing information received under FOI without checking for third-party rights — some disclosed material may be subject to copyright or data protection restrictions on further dissemination.
Primary sources
- Freedom of Information Act 2000 — the core legislation; Part I covers the right of access, Part II lists exempt information
- Environmental Information Regulations 2004 — broader presumption of disclosure for environmental information
- ICO — FOI guidance for practitioners — official ICO guidance on each exemption with worked examples
- WhatDoTheyKnow.com — public platform for filing, tracking, and publishing FOI requests
- Upper Tribunal — Information Rights decisions — searchable database of FOI tribunal decisions
- ICO Decision Notices — every ICO adjudication, searchable by authority and exemption
- NUJ FOI Guidance — practical NUJ guidance on using FOI as a journalist
- FOI (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004 — cost limit rules and how authorities calculate them
Common mistakes
- Not asking for the dataset, only the headline figure. Always request the underlying data — spreadsheets, raw database exports — not just a summary. The dataset is far more valuable journalistically and harder for the authority to withhold.
- Requesting information you can get from published sources. Authorities can refuse requests for information already “reasonably accessible” under FOIA s.21. Check published reports and open data portals before filing.
- Using your editor's email address for FOI requests. FOI responses and the email addresses used to receive them can be published under the same Act. Use a dedicated professional address or WhatDoTheyKnow to avoid exposing personal details.
- Sending a follow-up before the 20-working-day deadline. Chasing too early wastes goodwill and your time; set a calendar reminder for the exact deadline date generated by the Deadline Calculator.
- Giving up after a refusal. Internal review reverses or partially reverses a refusal in a significant proportion of cases. The ICO upholds complaints against authorities regularly. The process costs nothing.