The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), in partnership with the Ashridge Centre for Business and Society, published a report on the potential of the FOI Act.  This new guide illustrates how the Freedom of Information Act has been used as a powerful and versatile campaigning tool from the local to the national level. It's findings show how campaigners are at the forefront of developing our ‘right to know’, making government more transparent.

This new guide demonstrates how Freedom of Information can be used as a powerful and versatile campaigning tool at a local or national level, whether
to develop the content of a campaign or to gain crucial information on how decisions are made. It shows how campaigners are at the forefront of
developing our ‘right to know’, making government more transparent and exploring key challenges.

llustrated by five case studies, Bliss, Corner House, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, TreeHouse and the Campaign for Clean Air in London, the guide explores ways in which Freedom of Information requests have been used in campaigns from developing the evidence base of a campaign or to gain crucial information on how decisions are made.  It also explores why and how campaigns can benefit from using Freedom of Information requests and tackles some of the potential difficulties that can arise.

The NCVO report is available free for download here