Episode 6 | Access to records and information at local authority level

Podcast

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04.09.2026

Episode 6 | Access to records and information at local authority level

 

What are citizens entitled to know from their local authority – and on what basis? Maximilian Dombert and Dominik Lück take the current debate on a possible reform of the Freedom of Information Act (IFG) as an opportunity to explain the most important rights of access to documents in a local government context: from Section 29 of the Administrative Procedure Act (VwVfG) through the Environmental Information Act to Article 15 of the GDPR – which, in practice, is increasingly being used as a disguised right of access to documents.
 

The rule is: not everyone is allowed to ask anything at any time. Anyone currently involved in proceedings with the local authority – for example, regarding a planning application – has different rights to someone who simply wants to know what is going on behind the scenes. And then there is data protection: in practice, this is increasingly being used to obtain information that would no longer be accessible by other means.

The nucleus of democracy - municipal law with Dombert & Lück

 

Municipal law in an understandable, practical way and without paragraph-by-paragraph: In this podcast, the lawyers and specialist lawyers for administrative law speak Dr. Dominik Lück and Dr. Maximilian Dombert on the legal issues that cities, municipalities and municipal companies deal with on a daily basis.

 

As partners in the law firm Dombert Rechtsanwälte, they have been advising local authorities at the interface of law, politics and administration for many years. In their talks, they take you into their everyday professional lives, discuss current developments in municipal law and explain complex topics in such a way that they remain understandable even without a legal background.

 

This is because many of the major social issues are decided locally: Building and infrastructure projects, healthcare, the environment, schools, housing and municipal companies. It is precisely here - in the cities and municipalities - that the nucleus of democracy lies.

The podcast is aimed at local authorities, municipal companies, politicians and anyone who wants to understand how the law works at municipal level.

 

A podcast about local law, administration and politics - understandable, practical and with a look behind the scenes of municipal decision-making processes.

Listen now.

The nucleus of democracy - municipal law with Dombert & Lück. Wherever there are podcasts.

DOMBERT Rechtsanwälte

Our work covers all legal issues and conflicts in which the state, municipalities or authorities are involved.