What are ministers claiming expenses for? How much do oil companies pay to sponsor public art galleries? Did police stop-and-search operations have an effect on knife crime? What preparations have Bristol council made for a zombie attack?
We know the answer to those questions and many others thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (2000), which gives people ‘the right to know’. That means that anyone can ask a public authority – from ministerial departments to parish councils – to disclose the information they hold.
Since the act passed, politicians have repeatedly threatened to limit its powers. Recently, we revealed that an ‘Orwellian’ Cabinet Office unit has been coordinating Freedom of Information (FOI) responses across government departments, and screening journalists’ requests in ways that experts say could be breaking the law.
