Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer

Freedom of Information (FOI) Officer - Braintree District Council

Braintree District Council

Permanent, Full Time

£32,319 up to £36,900 per annum

Location: Braintree

Closing Date: 11th October 2026

Essex County Council (ECC) are delighted to be supporting Braintree Council to recruit this FOI Officer role.

The Opportunity:

Are you passionate about transparency, public service and helping people access the information they are entitled to? We are looking for a proactive, organised and detail-focused FOI Officer to help the Council respond to Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests accurately, clearly and within statutory deadlines.

About the Role

The role sits within our Performance and Improvement Team and plays an important part in supporting openness, transparency and good information governance across the Council. You will co-ordinate and manage FOI and EIR requests from receipt through to response, including those that may be complex or sensitive in nature, working with services to gather and verify information, review material for disclosure, prepare clear correspondence and ensure requests are progressed in line with statutory timescales.

You will also provide practical advice, guidance and training to colleagues, and work closely with the Council's Governance Team on matters such as exemptions, exceptions, personal data, confidentiality, commercial sensitivity and public interest considerations.

Job Accountabilities

• Receive, assess, and co-ordinate Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests, in line with the Councils procedures and case management system, ensuring they are handled within statutory timescales.
• Act as a point of contact for FOI and EIR enquiries, liaising with requesters, internal officers and services, and external stakeholders where appropriate to ensure requests are clearly understood and progressed effectively.
• Work proactively with services across the Council to identify, gather, review and verify information required to respond to requests, ensuring responses are accurate, complete, clear and issued within statutory deadlines.
• Review information prior to disclosure, identifying material that may require redaction or further consideration.
• Liaise with the Governance Team where advice is required on exemptions, exceptions, personal data, confidentiality, commercial sensitivity or public interest considerations.
• Prepare clear, professional and robust response correspondence, ensuring complex information and legislative reasoning is explained in a way that is accessible and appropriate for the requester.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of FOI and EIR requests, decisions, deadlines, correspondence, redactions and disclosures using the Council's case management system.
• Monitor the progress of requests, manage competing deadlines and elevate risks, delays, complex issues or sensitive matters promptly to the Senior Performance and Information Officer and/or Governance Team as appropriate.
• Provide practical advice, guidance and support to colleagues across the Council on FOI and EIR requirements, helping services to understand their responsibilities to enable them to respond effectively.
• Support the development and delivery of training, guidance materials and awareness-raising activity to improve organisational understanding of FOI/EIR obligations and good information handling practice.
• Monitor and report on FOI and EIR performance, including volumes, timeliness, themes, risks and areas for improvement.
• Support the maintenance and review of the Council's publication scheme and relevant website information, ensuring information is accurate, accessible and kept under review in line with statutory requirements.
• Maintain awareness of relevant legislation, Information Commissioner's Office guidance and good practice relating to FOI, EIR, data protection and transparency.
• Handle information appropriately and securely, ensuring compliance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, FOI, EIR and the Council's policies and procedures.

Experience

We are looking for someone who can bring the relevant experience, sound judgement and a clear understanding of information access, data protection or compliance processes. You may already be working in an FOI, information governance, data protection or compliance role, or you may have transferable experience that demonstrates the required skills. You will need to be organised, confident in managing competing deadlines, able to interpret information carefully, and comfortable working with colleagues across different services to ensure accurate and timely responses.

In return, we offer a supportive and collaborative working environment, opportunities for professional development and a chance to be part of a forward-thinking organisation.

Why choose Braintree District Council?

Braintree is an ambitious and dynamic Council and is becoming one of the fastest growing Districts in the East of England with three growing towns, London just 45 minutes away and the District located directly between the international transport centres of Stansted Airport and Harwich and Felixstowe International Ports. We have a deserved track record for delivering and a strong reputation within the business community.

Braintree District Council is a great place to work. We pride ourselves on our creative and innovative approach, which is led by our employees, and are committed to having an engaged workforce who understand our strategy and how they can help deliver it. Our people see the difference they make and how the work they do actively contributes to and encourages positive change in the local community.

We also offer some great benefits, including:

• *Competitive pay and benefits
• *Flexible working
• *Local Government Pension Scheme Defined Benefit Scheme
• *Free Car Parking
• *Learning and development for all staff
• *Staff Discounts
• *Employee Assistance Programme
• *Staff recognition schemes
• *Extensive health and wellbeing programme, including discounted gym membership

Closing date for receipt of applications: Sunday 11th October 2026.

Interviews will take place during the week commencing 19th October 2026.

Please Note - Essex County Council is advertising this role on behalf of Braintree District Council and if successful you will be employed by Braintree District Council.

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