Reference: RFI 2164
Council functions
Request:
I would like to know the average proportion of time the elected representatives of your
authority spend as part of their duties for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 on their
main activities. The activities that form their duties (employment) as an elected
representative are:
directly resolving complaints against the executive (Council Staff) of the Council by
residents; 2 sitting on committee's; 3 acting for the political parties that they represent
and/or ceremonial duties (i.e. all time not spent on sitting on a Committee or resolving a
complaint against the executive);
The total time spent by an elected representative for a Council on these three activities
should be 100 per cent of the time they spend 'working for a Council' as an elected
representative.
I would additionally like to know how much in total was paid to local councillors to meet all
their duties (including expenses) for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 by your
authority, and how many elected representatives are (and were) represented on your
authority for these years.
I would also like to know how many Complaints in total were submitted to your Council in
2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 for each year. I would further like to know how
many of these complaints were formally considered by an elected representative for each
of these years.
I would further like to know how many complaints against the Executive (Council staff) led
to the elected representatives formally identifying that the Executive had acted wrongly for
the years 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, and how many of these formal
determinations by the elected representatives identify that there was no wrong-doing by
the Executive. How many staff employed by your authority in 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and
2007/2008 ceased to be employed by your authority as a direct result of a complaint
against the Executive, and the Councillors identifying this to be the case.
I would further like to know how much money the Council has paid to a complainant (i.e.
victim of a Council's wrongdoing) through its own complaints system (i.e. excluding any
intervention by the Local Government Ombudsman, Valuation Tribunal or similar body) in
2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008.
I would like to know how much money either in the form of local settlement or additional
formal finding of maladministration causing injustice the Local Government Ombudsman
has recommended that your Council pay in 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 (for
each year) and if the Local Government Ombudsman's recommendations have been met
in full (including any non-financial recommendations for each year)). Please detail any
The information supplied to you is owned by the council unless otherwise stated and may be protected by
copyright. You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research or for the
purposes of news reporting. Any other re-use of a commercial nature will require the permission of the
Council. Further enquiries in this respect should be directed to Head of Legal Services, North Tyneside
Council, Quadrant The Silver Link North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside, NE27 0BY
Date: 21 October 2009
Page 1 of 2
Reference: RFI 2164
Council functions
recommendation that has not been met in full and provide a copy of the Elected
representatives decision. Please additionally identify if these costs were met directly by
Council Tax Payers or the Council's insurers (excluding self insurance by a Council)
Finally, please provide details of the financial cost of administering all your complaints
systems (including FoI and DP) by the Executive for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and
2007/2008 and the number of staff employed in administering complaints and resolving
these (Full time equivalent staffing levels). Please also provide details of your total
administrative costs for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 and the total number of
staff employed by your authority, as well as any pay increase (including increments) made
to the Council's Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) in pounds sterling for each of
these years. Please additionally identify if the Chief Executives wages included
performance related payments.
If you do not have this reasonably basic management information related to complaints
and/or identify that the costs of accessing the information requested will be more than
£450 please state this and identify that your Authority does not have either a functioning or
accountable complaints system, and does not maintain any basic management
information related to this issue.
If you have a complaints system not fit for purpose please identify which political party
currently controls your Council, and if this political party has appointed the current
Electoral Registration and Returning Officer through its control of the Council (with date of
their formal appointment). Please name the current Electoral Registration and Returning
Officer, and identify if they are also Head of Paid Service, and Clerk to your Authority.
Please additionally provide any documentation maintained by your Local Authorities Head
of Paid Service identifying that they personally do not believe it to be appropriate for your
Council to have a complaints system that is fit for purpose. This documentation should be
in existence due to the provisions of s4 of the Local Government Act 1989.
Response:
I am writing to inform you that your request for information will not be processed.
This request is refused under s12 (1) Freedom of Information Act 2000, since the cost of
complying would exceed the appropriate limit set out in the Freedom of Information and
Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. In assessing the cost of
complying, the costs attributable to officer time involved in complying have been taken into
account. Such costs are limited to £450.00, which equates to eighteen hours of officer
time.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 this letter acts as a Refusal
Notice.
The information supplied to you is owned by the council unless otherwise stated and may be protected by
copyright. You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research or for the
purposes of news reporting. Any other re-use of a commercial nature will require the permission of the
Council. Further enquiries in this respect should be directed to Head of Legal Services, North Tyneside
Council, Quadrant The Silver Link North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside, NE27 0BY
Date: 21 October 2009
Page 2 of 2
