Accountability
Freedom of Information
Decisions about Southport are too often made without proper scrutiny. Freedom of Information law lets ordinary people ask questions and get answers. We use it, and we want your help pointing it at the right targets.
How it works
- You suggest a request through the form below.
- We review every suggestion for relevance, legal viability and public interest.
- We may sharpen, combine or redirect a request before filing it under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
- Not every request can be taken forward, but all of them are logged and considered. What we get back, we aim to publish, because it belongs to the public.
What makes a good request
Focused
Target one topic, one authority and, if you can, one time period. Tight questions get answers.
In the public interest
Information that helps the people of Southport understand how their town is run and where their money goes.
Practical
Precise, not sprawling. Requests that are too broad get refused on cost and time grounds.
Things we would love to see asked
- How much Sefton raises in parking charges and fines in Southport, and exactly where that money is spent.
- What Southport brings in through council tax and business rates, against what is spent inside the town.
- Correspondence and costs behind the delays to reopening Southport Pier.
- Spending and decisions on Lord Street and town-centre regeneration.
Suggest an FOI request
Tell us what you think is being hidden. We will do the asking.
The small print
- Requests are filed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
- Personal data and information outside FOI's scope cannot be obtained. We word every request responsibly and within the law.
- Suggesting a request does not guarantee we will file it.
- We do not share the identity of anyone who suggests a request.
- We do not give legal advice. To file your own FOI, write to the public authority directly. If you have sensitive information to share instead, see our whistleblowing page.
Hold them to account
Together, we can drag Southport's decisions into the open. Suggest a request, join the branch, or tell us what you already know.