Information that we publish that can be re-used under Open Government Licence
Our aims
Our aim is to:
- make data we hold available online (unless private or sensitive)
- encourage residents, businesses and anyone else with an interest to use our data to develop applications
- increase transparency and accountability
All data is available under the Open Government Licence which allows sharing and reuse for commercial purposes.
Housing data
To view our housing data please see our housing data and information page.
S. 40 exemption
We have taken into account a decision by the Information Commissioner in the Torbay Council case (FS50547446). The decision involved the names of individuals who were private landlords or sole traders. And the Commissioner concluded that disclosure of their names would not breach the first Data Protection Principle. This is because the information relates to the business activities of the individuals concerned. And not to activities they undertake simply or solely in their private lives.
The Commissioner concluded that disclosure would be fair and meet Schedule 2 of Condition 6 of the Data Protection Act. But also acknowledged that their decision was finely balanced. The decision also took in to account that the request involved substantial amounts of Housing Benefits paid to the landlords.
We don't feel that the Information Commissioner’s advice is reason, in the specific situation of producing details of sole traders or residential correspondence addresses, to include them in the list. We do not feel that it is in the public interest to provide such information. This is because there is no public funding involved as there was in the Torbay case. And we will be retaining the s.40 exemption under the Freedom of Information Act covering personal information, and ultimately, data protection.
Limitations on data
- ratepayers names and correspondence addresses are only provided for Limited Companies and Government Bodies and not for individuals (sole traders, partnerships etc). Data Protection prevents the publication of names and addresses whereby an individual could be identified
- the ratepayer is the person liable to pay the charge. In many cases this is a leaseholder and not an owner. It is not possible to identify the owners from our records
- account references are not included as these are personal to the account, and are used to ensure that a ratepayer is actually the account holder when they contact the Council
- the correspondence address is the last contact address on the Business Rates records
- details of individuals or businesses run from a residential address are not included
- the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk cannot vouch for the ongoing accuracy of the data as information is being constantly updated. The information published is subject to the same screening process as information provided in respect of an information request, and therefore personal information has not been included in these datasets
Brownfield register
The introduction of The Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017 requires us to publish and maintain a register of brownfield land. To view our register, and maps of brownfield sites, please visit our brownfield register page.
Public health funerals
The public health funerals report provides information of funerals undertaken from 2007. Please note that not all details will be disclosed as they are exempt under Section 31(1)(a)(law enforcement – the prevention or detection of crime) of the Freedom of Information Act.
Software suppliers
The software supplier report is a comprehensive list of software solutions currently used within the council. The list will be updated in June and December each year.