This calculation does not take into account the time spent/costs of:

• Checking that a request for information meets the requirements of the FOIA;
• Considering the application of exemptions, prejudice and/or public interest tests;
• Obtaining legal advice;
• Obtaining authorisation to send out information;
• Calculating any fee to be charged; or
• Providing advice and assistance to the applicant for example in determining precisely what information they are seeking.

Based on the standard hourly rate of £25 the maximum time spent finding, retrieving, collating, and editing before exceeding the £450 cost limit is 18 hours.

If it is estimated that a request will take less than 18 hours to complete and there is no reason to withhold the information a public authority cannot charge for the staff time spent undertaking the types of activity outlined above.

 However

The actual costs of communication information released to the applicant are recoverable. This includes the cost of printing, photocopying, postage and/or supplying the information in a particular form. The cost of informing the applicant whether the information is held can also be included.

Pluckley Parish Council therefore makes a charge of 10p per printed sheet of paper plus postage costs at the current rate. The parish council does not, however, make any charge for inspection documents

If you are sending a request via email, please ensure you include "Freedom of Information Request" in the subject line to avoid it being considered spam by internet providers.