Research
Plan a records request campaign
Who holds what, worded so it cannot be refused on a technicality.
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What you are trying to find out.
Often not the obvious body.
Specific enough to be answerable, broad enough to be useful.
Your prompt
Plan a records campaign. [the topic] Work out who actually HOLDS the records, which is often not the obvious body. A request to the wrong agency comes back after the statutory clock has run, and that is the most common way these fail. Word each request to be specific enough that it cannot be refused as burdensome, and broad enough to be worth making. Name the record types, the date range and the custodians, and ask for the format you want. Ask for a fee waiver where the topic is public interest, and say why in the request. Plan the follow-up: the statutory deadline, when to chase, and what an appeal looks like. Most requests are answered late and only to the people who chase.
Use Plan a records request campaignOpens with everything above already filled in.
Why this works
A request sent to the wrong agency comes back after the statutory clock has run, which is the most common way these fail. This works out who actually holds the records, words requests to survive a burdensome refusal, and plans the chase.