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Public information

Requests for information

The University is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner's Office. As a controller and processor of personal data we have obligations in relation to individuals' personal information and to ensure that any sharing of personal data is undertaken responsibly in line with data protection legislation.

Additionally, the University is a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. As such it must comply with valid requests from the public to provide information it holds unless that particular information is exempt from disclosure.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives the public the right to access or request information held by public authorities.

We are committed to openness and transparency and publish a wide range of information on the University’s activities on our website. We also maintain a publication scheme which sets out information routinely made available to the public.

If the information is not available through our website or publication scheme, you can submit a written request for information.  Certain information is exempt from disclosure and we have a right to refuse to respond to vexatious and repeated requests. A full list of exemptions is available at the Information Commissioner's Office.

Environmental Information Regulations 2004

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 govern requests for environmental information. We publish information on the University’s commitment to sustainable development and the Environmental Sustainability Strategy on our website, and, where information is not published you can submit a request for environmental information.

Environmental information includes:

  • the state of any water or air, the state of any flora or fauna, the state of any soil, or the state of any natural site or other land
  • waste, emissions and discharges into the environment
  • any activities or administrative or other measures (including any environmental management programmes) which are designed to protect these
  • the state of human health and safety, including the contamination of the food chain.

It is not always possible to release environmental information. Details of exceptions to the duty to disclose environmental information are in the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 - Personal data requests

UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 set out the principles and other obligations that organisations have to follow to ensure that an individual’s personal data is collected, used and held responsibly. You can find more about how the University approaches this responsibility on our data protection pages. We set out details on what personal data we collect, how it can be used and to whom we can disclose the data. We also give information on an individual’s rights and how they can exercise those rights, including the right of access.