Can local government make a charge, or even profit, from allowing re-use of their information?
A. Unlike trading funds, local authorities were not set up to be commercial bodies, therefore different rules apply. Unless the local authority is doing something outside its public task, and/or adding value to the data it is releasing, the charge should be limited to those costs incurred in permitting re-use. For example, a council is involved in gathering information from its archives, collating that information, making copies and sending them out to a re-user.
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