Access to Information Officer

About the job

Key information

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Main base is County Hall, Taunton, but hybrid working from home and office available.
• 25 days’ annual leave; 28 after 5 years of service.

What will I be doing?

We’re working to improve the lives of people here in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Responding to Data Rights Requests, Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Requests within statutory timeframes.
• Liaising with a wide range of council staff to obtain information and process it for release.
• Advise on legislative requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Have experience in working with the Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.
• Have experience working with stakeholders of all levels.
• Have good communications and negotiation skills.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Supporting documents and information

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Lucy Wilkins, 01823 356620 or informationgovernance@somerset.gov.uk.

Interviews will take place in the week commencing 09 June 2025.

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now