Dear Mr Hardwicke Carruthers

Information Request NBC707-931

Firstly please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to your request which was due to the Council receiving your request late.

I am writing to acknowledge your request for information dated 23^rd August 2008 which is being dealt with under the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 (FOI).

Your request has been given the unique access to information code NBC707-931 Please quote this reference on any correspondence relating to this request.

With reference to your request regarding various information of the function of the Council. Please find detailed below Northampton Borough Council's (the Council) response in subject headings.

Councillor Activities

The Council's Councillors when carrying out their elected duties spend 100% of their time doing this function. Detailed below is a link to the Council's web pages that identifies each Councillor and contains information on special duties that they carry out.

http://www.northamptonboroughcouncil.com/councillors/mgMemberIndex.asp?bcr=1

Councillor Allowances

With reference to your request regarding allowances paid to Councillors since 2005. This information has already been subject to an FOI disclosure. As this information is publicly available attached are copies of the responses.

2005/2006 - See disclosure NBC560-705 released on the 14^th February 2008.

2006/2007 - See disclosure NBC400-494 released on the 20^th April 2007.

2007/2008 - See disclosure NBC623-803 released on the 8^th May 2008.

Quantity of Complaints

The Council purchased a CRM system in 2005. It was implemented as the Council's Customer Feedback system in June 2007. Previously there was no central system for complaints to be logged therefore no information prior to this exists.

The Council can confirm that from June 2007 - 31^st March 2008 1802 complaints were received from members of the public and Councillors to the Council's Contact Centre. The Council uses designated resolvers in each department to co-ordinate and respond to complaints. Councillors are not designated resolvers and do not consider any complaints. Councillors who receive complaints pass then to the central team to log. Resolvers then respond either directly to the complainant or the Councillor or both.

Complaints against employees

The Council has received 171 complaints that relate directly to employees (figures are only available from June 2007). The Council confirms that all complaints against staff are fully investigated and no employees were dismissed due to one of these complaints.

Settlement figures due to complaints/LGO

The Council cannot identify, other than the LGO annual letters, what was `local settlement' (where the LGO has not completed their investigation) and what was led by the LGO.

Attached are copies of the Council's annual letters from the Ombudsman for 2005/06 to 2007/08. These state the amounts paid in relation to LGO complaints.

From this current financial year (2008/09) the Council has implemented within its complaints systems a field that will enable the user to input the amount of money paid to a complainant and also identify if this was LGO led or local settlement.

Financial costings for administering complaints

Please can you clarify further the information you require.

Total administrative costs

Please can you clarify further the information you require.

With reference to pay increases to the Chief Executive for the years identified, please see below figures. The Chief Executive has not received any performance related pay during that time.

2005/06 - £8,542.00 (increment plus cost of living rise.

2006/07 - No increment as previous Chief Executive left before end of financial year

2007/08 - No increment during this year

If you consider the Council has not provided the information you have requested you have the right to challenge that decision in respect of your information request within 6 months.

Please write to:

Information Access Challenges

Northampton Borough Council

The Guildhall

St Giles Square

Northampton NN1 1DE

Or email: [email address]

If your challenge is not resolved to your complete satisfaction, you will then have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner.

If you feel your request has been handled unfairly you should, in the first instance, complain using the Council's Customer Feedback form and address it to the department you have been dealing with. The Council's Complaints procedure (a full copy of which is available on the internet, from any Council reception or by telephoning or writing to the Council's Complaints Co-ordinator) will then be used to try and resolve your complaint.

Yours sincerely

Mr D J Taylor

Freedom of Information Officer

Information Management Team Leader

Legal and democratic Services

www.northampton.gov.uk