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Since it came into force in January 2005, it has enabled journalists and members of the public alike to ask lots of awkward questions - and expect them to be answered.

It was thanks to the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act that the Daily Telegraph was able to break the MPs' expenses scandal, for example. Other FoI requests have revealed the involvement of UK aircrew in the bombing of Syria, and the fact that the NHS gives contraceptives to girls as young as ten.

Closer to home, it was thanks to a Freedom of Information request that the Telegraph & Argus was able to reveal details of how much hospitals spend on agency doctors and nurses and how many unsolved murders there are in the district.

Now, an ongoing government review is looking into the way the act works. Journalists and freedom of information campaigners fear the review could result in the act being watered down, giving civil servants and local government officials more excuses for refusing to comply with requests for information, for example, or even imposing a charge for each request made.

Here, we highlight some of the stories we would never have been able to bring readers without the Freedom of Information Act; look at how the act works, and what changes might be made; and ask local politicians and others for their thoughts on the act and on the review.

Ten stories we wouldn't have been able to bring you without the Freedom of Information Act:

1. Bradford's most dangerous roads (November 2015) Figures obtained highlighted the most dangerous roads in Bradford and areas of concern over a five-year period, prompting councillors to slam driving standards in the city and call for something to be done. The statistics prompted one councillor to call for money to be spent on traffic light cameras, rather than bus lane cameras, in an effort to save lives. The figures had shown that numerous road accidents, over a five-year period, were caused by motorists driving through traffic lights when they were on red.

2. Councillors warned over failure to pay council tax (June 2015) We revealed that ten warning letters had been sent to Bradford councillors in three years for failing to pay Council tax. The warning letters, sent between 2012 and this year, reminded councillors they owed money. The Council refused to name who the letters were sent to, but many councillors slammed those responsible. Councillor Alyas Karmani said councillors needed to "lead by example" and that not paying was "not acceptable". Council leader David Green said the non-payments could have been down to "human frailty".

3. City centre traders call for more police on the street as crime clear-ups revealed (March 2013) Bradford businesses were frustrated after a Freedom of Information request revealed only 32 people had been convicted following investigations into 684 burglaries of retail and commercial premises in the year. Traders called for more police presence while Bradford South Detective Chief Inspector Peter Graig said a small number of offenders could be responsible for a high number of crimes.

4. Bradford hospitals spend almost £15million in one year on agency workers to plug staff shortages (November 2015) Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Airedale NHS Foundation Trust spent a combined £14,760,016 on agency doctors and nurses in 2014/15 - up 31 per cent on the previous year. Bradford East MP Imran Hussain (Lab) said he would raise the issue in Parliament, and Jonathan Isaby, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said 31 per cent increase would "alarm" taxpayers. Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's executive member for health, said: "These are huge agency bills for our district."

5. City's police cars involved in the highest number of crashes (February 2011) A Telegraph & Argus Freedom of Information request revealed more police vehicle crashes occurred in the Bradford South area than in any other policing division in West Yorkshire. The FoI response showed that 131 police cars were involved in collisions in Bradford South between April 2010 and December 31, 2010 - 27 more than the next-highest division. But the division's record on the roads was defended by Chief Superintendent Alison Rose.

6. Bradford has the worst drivers in the country (May 2014) Figures revealed that Bradford officially had the worst drivers in the country. A Freedom of Information request showed that the district had a higher proportion of people banned from getting behind the wheel than anywhere else. DVLA statistics showed that the district topped a list of shame for numbers of disqualified drivers compared to the number of people who hold a licence. It showed the city had 1,084 people banned from driving, from a driver population of 166,171. Then-Bradford East MP David Ward (Lib Dem) vowed to take up the issue at a summit meeting looking at driver behaviour.

7. Knives smuggled into Bradford courts (January 2015) The Telegraph & Argus revealed that people tried to smuggle 170 knives into court in Bradford in one year. The weapons were among hundreds of items confiscated by security guards at the entrances to Bradford Crown Court and Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court. Other objects seized included tools, alcohol, cameras and recorders. The then Deputy Council leader, Imran Hussain, branded those responsible as "dumb" and said the number of knives confiscated had left him "quite speechless". The items were seized between April 2013 and March 2014.

8. Bradford Council spends £500,000 a year on compensation, repairs and replacements for accidents involving its vehicles (October 2015) It was revealed that accidents involving Bradford Council vehicles were costing taxpayers an average of £500,000 a year. In five years from 2010, the authority paid out £2.5million in compensation, repairs and replacements following accidents involving its vehicles. Councillor Simon Cooke (Con) suggested the money could be better spent on "more practical and useful things". Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem) said the authority should "step up and do more to prevent accidents".

9. Complaints about illegal travellers' camps treble (October 2015) Bradford Council was urged to do more to combat the "menace" of illegal traveller camps, as a Freedom of Information request revealed public complaints had trebled in three years. More than 150 people complained to the Council in 2014/15, up from 51 in 2012/13. The figures also revealed a rise in the number of unauthorised camps from eight to 30 in the same period. Shipley MP Philip Davies (Con) said the Council needed to be more active with its security, claiming there were "repeat visits to the same sites" from travellers.

10. Thirty unsolved Bradford district murder cases in 40 years is highest in county (April 2014) A Freedom of Information request revealed how many of the unsolved murders in West Yorkshire were Bradford cases. Thirty murders across our district were among 70 unsolved across the county. But despite the figures, senior officers insisted there had been a big drop in murders in the region, and that more than nine out of ten killings were being solved.

If you are concerned about possible changes to the Freedom of Information Act, you still have time to have your say. Either write to your MP or sign the petition to protect the FoI, available online here.

What is the Freedom of Information Act?

The Freedom of Information Act, which came into force in January 2005, enables members of the public (including the press) to have access to information held by public authorities, including Government, local councils, the health service and police. It does this in two ways: by obliging public authorities to publish certain information about their activities, and by enabling members of the public to request information - known as a Freedom of Information request.

These requests must be made in writing. Public authorities normally have 20 working days in which to respond to valid requests.

There are fears that the ongoing review of the Freedom of Information Act may lead to it being watered down. The Campaign for Freedom of Information, which lobbied for 20 years to get the act introduced, fears that the review could lead to sweeping changes in the act, including:

• imposing charges for requests,
• making it easier for public authorities to refuse requests on cost grounds,
• making it more difficult to obtain public authorities' internal discussions,
• strengthening ministers’ powers to veto disclosures.

There seem to be good reasons for these concerns. In a statement on July 17 this year announcing the review, Lord Bridges, the parliamentary secretary to the Cabinet Office, said the cross-party commission being set up to conduct the review would be required to "consider the balance between the need to maintain access to information, and the burden of the Act on public authorities, and whether change is needed to moderate that."

The Conservative leader of the House of Commons, Chris Grayling, has gone on record as saying that he believes journalists misuse the Freedom of Information Act. A survey by the UK Press Gazette, meanwhile, found that half of all civil servants thought charges should be imposed for FoI requests.

In a jointly-written letter to the Prime Minister, the Campaign for Freedom of Information and the Society of Editors expressed their "serious concern" about the review, and about the five-man commission appointed to undertake it. This includes former home secretary Jack Straw - who has repeatedly argued the Act provides too much public disclosure.

In their letter, the Campaign for Freedom of Information and the Society of Editors concluded: "We regard the Freedom of Information Act as a vital mechanism of accountability which has transformed the public's rights to information and substantially improved the scrutiny of public authorities. We would deplore any attempt to weaken it."

Editor of the Telegraph & Argus Perry Austin-Clarke added: "If the Government insists on weakening the Freedom of Information Act, all it is really doing is preventing the people of this country finding out what is being done in their name."

If you are concerned about possible changes to the Freedom of Information Act, you still have time to have your say. Either write to your MP or sign the petition to protect the FoI, available online here.