A crucial tool for our investigations

A lot of you are keen on our exclusive stories and investigations, and it is something we’re proud of.

We believe that these types of stories, such as reporting on council spending for projects and ambulance waiting times, are what makes us different – and this is the type of work your subscription is funding.

But how do we get these stories?

While it does vary, one of the most common tools we use are freedom of information requests. But what are they, and how do they result in stories?

Freedom of information (FOI) requests can be made to public authorities asking for recorded information such as emails, reports and data. Members of the public have a statutory right to this information.

This means that us journalists can contact North Yorkshire Council, North Yorkshire Police, the NHS and more to find out information they don’t necessarily want to share in a press release. 

It does require a level of creative thinking, as well as accepting sometimes it will lead nowhere, but with journalistic experience comes a better idea of what will work.

For instance, an FOI into the costs of a staff party held by then Harrogate Borough Council revealed that nearly £3,000 of taxpayer money was spent on alcohol. You can read more stories uncovered by FOIs below.

As great as it is, the process can be incredibly frustrating.

The FOI Act of 2000 says a response must be made within 20 working days, but this deadline is regularly missed.

Sometimes, the public body will say they are exempt from that information because of GDPR or for commercial interests. We have occasionally appealed this and won.

But this process is a vital tool for holding powers to account.

We use your subscription to dedicate time to unearthing these stories, often the ones that caused the greatest outrage. Without it, the information may never be known.

Take a look below at some of the stories we’ve revealed off the back of FOI requests. 

Harrogate Station Gateway: consultants' fees rise to £2.1 million

Council spent nearly £30,000 on influencers

Council defends £42,500 cost of managers’ meetings in Harrogate

Mayor spent £618 on hotel rooms for Prime Minister meeting

Council spent £540,000 on Harrogate office scheme that failed to cover cleaning costs

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