Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives the public a right of access to the recorded information we hold.
Making a request
Making a request
As we are a public authority, all written material we hold, including any correspondence you send to us, may be considered for release following a request to us under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, unless the information is exempt.
All requests for information should be in writing. You can make a request by emailing us: information@artscouncil.org.uk
You can also make your request by post;
Senior Officer, Information
Arts Council England,
49 Lever Street,
Manchester,
M1 1FN
Please mark your request as a freedom of information request and try to be specific about the information you want. This helps us deal with your request efficiently.
You will get the information faster if you help us identify the exact information you require. Make sure that you:
- are specific about exactly what information you want
- provide us with a narrow, tightly-focused request
- give, where appropriate, a relevant time frame the information relates to
You can also state how you wish to receive the information, by letter or by email.
We will deal with your request as quickly as we can. We acknowledge requests within five working days and respond in full within 20 working days. If we need to contact you to clarify what information you are requesting, we will respond in full within 20 days from the date we receive your clarification.
You can find out more about the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the Information Commissioner’s website
Making a complaint
If you are not happy with how we handle your request you can ask for an internal review. If you would like to do so please detail your concerns, within two months of the date of receiving our response, in writing by the contact form below or send them to:
chiefexecutive@artscouncil.org.uk
or by post to:
Chief Executive
Arts Council England,
21 Bloomsbury Street,
London,
WC1B 3HF
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of our internal review, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner. You can contact the Information Commissioner by email:
Or by post:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF
Phone: 01625 545 700
Fax: 01625 524 510
Data protection
Under Data Protection legislation you are entitled to find out what personal information we hold about you.
If you would like a copy of the personal information that we hold about you, please contact the Senior Officer, Freedom of Information and Data Protection using the contact form or by email:
information@artscouncil.org.uk
Or by post to:
Senior Officer, Freedom of Information and Data Protection
Arts Council England,
49 Lever Street,
Manchester,
M1 1FN
You can find out more about the Data Protection Act 2018 on the Information Commissioner’s website.
Publication scheme
Before making a Freedom of Information request, it is worth checking to see if the information is already available to the public as part of our publication scheme.
The Freedom of Information Act requires that we produce a publication scheme document which describes the information we routinely publish and where you can find it.
If you cannot find the information you require on our website or Freedom of information disclosure log, you may have to submit a request for information.
Our publication archive
Our archive is a collection of hard copy and digital documents from throughout our history, from 1940 to the present day.
It includes reports, policies, publications and examples of funded activities produced by the Council for Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) between 1940-1946, The Arts Council of Great Britain between 1946-1994, The Arts Council of England between 1994 and 2003, and Arts Council England from 2003 to the present day. It also includes material from regional art bodies that were incorporated into the Arts Council in 2003, from their inception onwards.
To view any content from the archive, please indicate which specific content you would like to view by searching the Archive Catalogue (XLSX, 446.29 KB), and submitting an Archive Request.
If you wish to re-use material from the archive, please submit a copyright request to our information team.
The archive does not house art, information on art, commentary or examination of artwork itself.
For documents and information on the Arts Council of Great Britain, contact the V&A museum. For materials related to film, contact the BFI.
How we treat your funding application through FOI
We are committed to openness and transparency and this includes being clear to applicants and the public about how we are spending public funds and how we make our decisions.
This means that by law we may have to provide your application documents and appraisal information to a member of the public if they ask for them under the Freedom of Information Act.
Our information sheet below explains how we treat your funding application if it is requested under the Freedom of Information Act.
Investigation reports
Our recent investigations:
September 2015
Renaissance Grant to Leeds City Council Museums and Galleries Services
February 2014
Grants for the Arts Award for the 2014 Soho Literary Festival
Download the reports in full below;