Form templates / Government & Public Services
Public Records Request Form
A public records request form differs from an FOI request in one way that matters: some records are personal, so the form has to establish who is asking and what they're entitled to.
For councils, agencies and public-sector teams.
Two kinds of request, one form
People use the same words for two different things: general records that anyone may see, and records about themselves or a relative that require proof of identity or entitlement. Treating both the same either delays open records or releases personal ones carelessly.
So the first question here separates them, and the identity questions appear only for personal requests. Someone asking for published minutes isn't asked to prove who they are, and someone asking for their own file is told up front what evidence they'll need.
A record with a timestamp
Every submission is stored with the moment it was made, and exports as a spreadsheet. If a report ever has to be produced - for an insurer, a regulator, a review - it exists, dated, unedited.
Accessible to everyone, including the people without an app
A public form has to work for the resident on a six-year-old Android with 200 MB of data left, and for the one using a screen reader. That rules out most modern form builders, which need JavaScript to render a text box.
These pages are ordinary HTML with real labels and native controls: they work with assistive technology, keyboard only, and with scripting switched off entirely.
Route it to the right person
Send every report to whoever needs to act on it by email the moment it arrives, so nothing sits in a queue waiting to be noticed.
Make it yours in a minute
Change the wording, drop the questions you don't need, add the ones you do, put your own colour on it. Saving publishes it, and you get a link to paste into your website, your email signature or a message. Responses land in your dashboard and download as a spreadsheet whenever you want them.
What this template asks
- Your name
- Email address
- Address
- What kind of request is this?
- What are you looking for?
- Describe the records as precisely as you can
- Which period?
- Department or service, if known
- Name of the person the records relate to
- Their date of birth
- Your relationship to them
- What evidence can you provide?
- How would you like to receive the records?
- You may contact me to clarify this request
More Government & Public Services forms
Questions
Should identity documents be uploaded to a form?
No. Ask what evidence they hold and verify it through your usual channel - in person, by post, or through an identity service. A web form is the wrong place for a passport scan.
What if the record doesn't exist?
Say so promptly - it's an answer, and it stops a requester assuming they're being stonewalled. The structured request usually makes this quick to establish.
Can reports be submitted anonymously?
Yes, if you make the name optional. Nothing about the submitter is recorded otherwise - no IP address, no account, no tracking.
Can this go to more than one person?
Yes. Notification recipients are a list, so a report can reach a manager and a safety lead at the same time.
Can I export everything for an audit?
Yes - one click gives you a CSV of every response with its timestamp, which is usually exactly what an auditor or insurer asks for.
Is it accessible, and does it track people?
Forms use semantic HTML, real labels, keyboard-navigable native controls and work without JavaScript. No cookies, no analytics scripts and no IP logging - so there's no consent banner between a resident and a public service.
Publish your public records request form today
Start from this template and change anything you like. Free to begin.