Liverpool City Council Publication Scheme & Open Data Licence

Liverpool, England maintains a publication scheme and open data arrangements to make council information accessible, reusable and transparent for residents, researchers and businesses. This guide explains what the Liverpool City Council publication scheme covers, how datasets are licensed for reuse, who enforces access rights, and practical steps to request information or report concerns. It summarises official contacts, common compliance issues and appeal routes so you can find, reuse and challenge council-held information reliably.

Overview

The Liverpool City Council publication scheme sets out classes of information routinely published by the council and explains how to access them; the council’s official page describes the scheme and what is published online via datasets and documents Liverpool City Council publication scheme^[1].

Access and licensing

Open datasets from Liverpool may be offered for reuse under the UK Open Government Licence (OGL v3) or other specified licence terms; the national OGL text and usage terms are published by The National Archives Open Government Licence v3^[2]. Where the council publishes data on an open portal it will state the licence and any attribution or reuse conditions on each dataset page.

Penalties & Enforcement

Enforcement for freedom of information and transparency obligations in England is the responsibility of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for statutory FOI duties, while the council’s Information Governance or Records team handles day-to-day publication and compliance. Liverpool’s public pages set out contacts for requests and complaints but do not list monetary fines on the council publication-scheme page; any specific penalty amounts are not specified on the cited page and will follow ICO authority where applicable Liverpool City Council publication scheme^[1].

• Enforcer: Information Commissioner’s Office for FOI statutory breaches; local enforcement handled by Liverpool City Council Information Governance team.
• Monetary penalties: not specified on the cited council page; ICO has statutory powers (see ICO guidance).
• Escalation: internal review followed by ICO complaint or tribunal appeal where specified; time limits for ICO complaints are set by ICO guidance and not detailed on the council publication-scheme page.
• Non-monetary sanctions: internal orders to publish, disclosure notices from the ICO, court or tribunal directions where applicable.
• Common violations: failure to publish required classes, redaction errors, delayed responses to information requests; penalties for specific breaches are not listed on the cited council page.

Applications & Forms

To submit an information request or ask about an unpublished record, use the council’s FOI/contact request page which provides the online request form and contact details Make a freedom of information request^[3]. The council’s page sets out how to apply and where to send requests; specific application fees or statutory charge amounts are not specified on the publication-scheme page where the scheme is described.

• Form: online FOI request form on the council website; purpose: request recorded information from the council.
• Deadlines: statutory FOI response times are governed by FOI law—check the council request page and ICO guidance for exact time limits; the council page does not specify alternative time limits.
• Submission: use the online form or contact the Information Governance team as detailed on the council request page.

Action steps

• Find datasets via the Liverpool publication pages or open data portal and note the stated licence.
• Use the council FOI form to request unpublished records and keep a copy of your request.
• If dissatisfied, ask for an internal review and then complain to the ICO if necessary.
• Pay any published re-use charges only where the council lists them; if none are published, the council’s publication scheme will explain access routes.

Key Takeaways

• Check the Liverpool City Council publication scheme for routinely published classes of information.
• Open datasets will state licence terms, commonly OGL v3, on their dataset pages.
• Use the council’s FOI form, then internal review and the ICO for enforcement if needed.

FAQ

What is the Liverpool publication scheme?

The publication scheme explains which classes of information the council publishes proactively and how to access them; see the official council publication-scheme page for details Liverpool City Council publication scheme^[1].

Are Liverpool datasets reusable under an open licence?

Many council datasets are placed under the Open Government Licence v3 or a stated licence; check each dataset’s licence on publication or the national OGL text Open Government Licence v3^[2].

How do I make an FOI request to Liverpool City Council?

Submit an FOI request using the council’s online form and contact details on the FOI request page Make a freedom of information request^[3].

How-To

1. Identify the information class you need on the Liverpool publication scheme or open data portal.
2. Check the dataset or document page for licence terms and reuse conditions.
3. Use the council FOI online form to request unpublished information if not available.
4. If the council refuses or delays, request an internal review, then contact the ICO to complain if unresolved.

Help and Support / Resources

• Liverpool City Council FOI and information requests
• Liverpool open data portal
• Liverpool transparency and information governance
• Open Government Licence v3 (The National Archives)

1. [1] Liverpool City Council publication scheme
2. [2] Open Government Licence v3
3. [3] Make a freedom of information request