Freedom of information : local government and accountability / edited by Richard A. Chapman and Michael Hunt.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Freedom of information : local government / Michael Hunt and Richard A. Chapman -- The context and challenges of freedom of information in local government : a practitioner's perspective / Sir David Henshaw -- Openness and freedom of information in local government : concepts and issues / Richard A. Chapman -- Open government at the local level in England : FoI implementation from 2005 to 2008 / Sarah Holsen and Ben Worthy -- Local government, freedom of information and participation / Michael Hunt -- Freedom of information in Scotland and the UK : time to notice the difference / Kevin Dunion -- The impact of freedom of information on Irish local government / Maeve McDonagh -- Freedom of information and the campaign to protect rural England / Howard Elcock -- Freedom of information and participation : comparing local and central government / Jim Chandler -- The morality of local government / Peter Barberis -- Freedom of information : local government, democracy and accountability / Richard A. Chapman and Michael Hunt.

Since the UK's Freedom of Information Act of 2005, which allows public right of access to information held by public authorities, considerable evidence has accumulated about the ways in which the Act has been applied in the interests of democracy and accountability. Until now, there has been little research into these findings at the local level of government. In this detailed review, leading experts in the field consider best practice regarding the operation of the Act, and examine how the Act has enabled the public to contribute to local decision making and debate local issues. The work of the Campaign to Protect Rural England is used as a case study to demonstrate how the work of interest groups may be affected. This timely work addresses the challenges of democracy and efficiency facing local services, and considers how the accountability of local authorities can best be ensured.