12 October 2009

Mr G Cant

Via email ([FOI #17826 email])

Our ref: CS/09/094/HJP

(Please quote our reference when contacting us)

If telephoning contact Hilary Pook on 020 7217 4734

or if using email send to: [email address]

Dear Mr Cant

Request for information

In your email of 9 September you asked for the legal qualifications, accountancy qualifications, and other suitable professional experience needed in relation to each office.

The Deputy Ombudsman post has a `desirable' requirement for applicants to be qualified as a solicitor or have a law degree (see attached person specification). There is one Deputy Ombudsman in each office.

The Commission uses a contractor (who is a qualified solicitor) to supply legal advice, but also employs one or more Legal Assistants - based at our London office - who are required to have a Law degree or graduate (2.2 and above) and an LPC (pass or above); with a good understanding and working knowledge of at least one area of local government law (for example housing, social services, planning, education, etc).

Accountancy staff are all based in the London office:

The Head of Finance and Estates is required to be a member of CPFA or ACCA.

The Financial Controller is required to be “part professionally qualified having achieved intermediate status in any CCAB body”.

Accounts Assistants are required to have at least a “qualification in accounting, eg finalist in CAT or AAT or studying any CCAB professional qualification, or holder of a degree in Accountancy.”

In relation to other professional experience required:

The Head of Human Resources is required to be a member of CIPD. HR Managers are required to be CIPD qualified by examination.

/…

You also asked what minimum level of experience would be expected of applicants for the posts of:

Initial investigators - see attached person specification for Investigator

Investigation support staff - see attached person specifications for PA/Team Leader, and for Team Administrator

Deputy Ombudsmen - see attached person specification

Ombudsmen - information not held. Ombudsmen are appointed by the Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and you would need to ask them for this information.

Finally, you asked for a list of the “in-line job positions for each office, and the number of staff employed in that position, from the initial phone contact to finalisation of a disputed complaint.” You gave an example which included Global Crossing employees. Global Crossing employees are exactly that - employees of Global Crossing, not employees of the Commission for Local Administration. The Commission uses the service provided by Global Crossing for switchboard services. We hold no information on the number of their employees.

The Advice Team, which is based in our Coventry office, currently has one Customer Services Superviser, and 13 Advisers.

The Coventry office has:

Deputy Ombudsman: 1

Assistant Ombudsman: 3 full-time, 2 part-time

Senior Investigator: 3 full-time

Investigator: 21 full-time, 4 part-time

PA to LGO/Deputy Ombudsman: 1 full-time

PA/Team Leader: 2 full-time

Team Administrator: 2 full-time, 4 part-time

The York office has:

Deputy Ombudsman: 1

Assistant Ombudsman: 3 full-time

Senior Investigator: 3 full-time

Investigator: 23 full-time, 3 part-time

PA to LGO/Deputy Ombudsman: 1 full-time

PA/Team Leader: 1 full-time, 1 part-time

Team Administrator: 1 full-time, 6 part-time

The London office has:

Deputy Ombudsman: 1

Assistant Ombudsman: 4 full-time

Senior Investigator: 3 full-time

Investigator: 22 full-time, 6 part-time

PA to LGO/Deputy Ombudsman: 1 full-time

PA/Team Leader: 2 full-time

Team Administrator: 3 full-time, 2 part-time

There are also a number of jobs relating to Corporate Services, but as these employees do not deal directly with complaints, I assume your request does not include them.

That concludes my response. If you feel I have not dealt properly with your request, you have the right to appeal and, should you wish to do so, I can supply a copy our internal complaints procedure. If you do request an internal review - can you please indicate why you are unhappy with my response. You also have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner to determine whether your request has been properly dealt with. You should note however that the Commissioner will not consider any complaint where you have not first exhausted our internal complaints process or where there has been undue delay in contacting him. You will be able to obtain further details of the Information Commissioner's role from the website on www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook

Hilary Pook (Ms)

Communications and Records Manager

Enc: Person specifications for the posts of Deputy Ombudsman, Investigator, PA/Team Leader, Team Administrator.

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LGO 01 (03/08)