Journalists are being invited to take part in a study to find out the impact of Freedom of Information on local government.

Researchers from University College London are evaluating how local authorities have been affected by the FoI Act, which came into force in 2005.

The Constitution Unit at the university has been awarded a grant by the Economic and Social Research Council to carry out the study and is asking regional journalists to take part.

It comes after the department carried out similar research into the impact of FoI on central government, which found transparency and accountability had increased but public trust had decreased.

The latest study seeks to find out journalists’ views on FoI relating to local government in England, with a survey on their experiences.

Questions being posed to journalists by the researchers include why they use FoI over other sources of information and what stories have been written following requests, as well as their views of the impact on local authorities.

To take part, visit surveymonkey.com.