Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers
Legal & Democratic Services
Via Email
Direct Line – 020 7525 7511
[FOI #2230 email]
Fax – 020 7525 7675
[Southwark Borough Council request email]
17 October 2008
Dear Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers
Re: Your request for information: Ref No. FOI 3088
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 26 August 2008 in which
you requested:
“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:
1 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
Legal & Democratic Services, Floor 3 ,Town Hall, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UB
Switchboard - 020 7525 5000
Website - www.southwark.gov.uk
Chief Executive – Annie Shepperd
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 L cal
o
ribunal or similar bod
Government Ombudsman, Valuation T
y) 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 ye
ons
ar) and if the Local Government Ombudsman's recommendati
have been met in full (including any non-financial recommendations
for each year)). Please detail any recomme
t been
ndation that has no
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 insu
rance 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, 20
er
06/2007 and 2007/2008 and the numb
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 autho
,
rity
as well as any pay increase (including increments) made to the
ling
Council's Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) in pounds ster
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
Legal & Democratic Services, Floor 3 ,Town Hall, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UB
Switchboard - 020 7525 5000
Website - www.southwark.gov.uk
Chief Executive – Annie Shepperd
complaints system that is fit for purpose. This documentation
should b
ue to the provisions of s4 of the Local
e in existence d
Government Act 1989.”
In response to questions 1 and 2 the Council does not collect or hold information on the
proportion of time members spend on these activities.
Members of the Executive in carrying out their duties spend 100% of their time on
Council business. Each member of the Executive has their own area of responsibility
e.g. Children’s Services and Education, Citizenship, Equalities & Communities,
Community Safety, Culture, Leisure & Sports, Environment, Housing Management,
Health & Adult Care, Regeneration and Resources. Their responsibility covers
committee attendance, ceremonial duties and associated duties pertinent to their roles.
Information pertaining to members’ salaries and expenses are in the public domain and
details are published annually in the local press covering Southwark, namely the South
London Press. Details for the years 2005/06, 2006/07 are held on the Southwark
website. Publication of the 2007/08 figures will be available from 17 Octo
ber 2008 these
will also be published on the website. The information held also records the number of
members for the requisite years requested.
The total number of complaints submitted for the years 2005/2006, 2006/207 and
2007/2008 are as follows:
2005 - 2006 6732
2006 - 2007
7481
2007 - 2008 8450
In 2005/6 13 complaints were considered by elected members as they resulted in
mbuds
O
man Reports.
No staff have been dismissed and/or ceased to be employed as a direct result of a
complaint against the Executive.
Compensation payments were as follows:
Total Compensation paid at Stages 1/2/3 Total Compensation recommended
By the LGO
2005/2006 £80,743.61 £32,093
2006/2007 £100,536.39 £64,265.43
2007/2008 £146,297.63 £52,802.55
The Council complies with all Ombudsman recommendations.
Details relating to the financial costs of administering our complaints system, the number
of staff employed and the total expenditure for administrative costs – this information is
not held in the format requested. There has been an allocation of Central Administrative
Expenses over all services, based on Service Level Agreements. - see paragraph 2.11
on page 16 of the 2007/08 accounts. Back copies from 1999/2000 are available on the
Legal & Democratic Services, Floor 3 ,Town Hall, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UB
Switchboard - 020 7525 5000
Website - www.southwark.gov.uk
Chief Executive – Annie Shepperd
Council's website at:
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCouncil/keydocuments/statementofaccounts.html
Pay increases (including increments) made to the Council’s Chief Executive for the years
2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08. All staff were awarded the following percentage
increases for the years requested:
2005/06 2006/07 2007/08
2.95%
2.95%
2.475%
Generally, however, the following information is in the public domain; Chief Executive
salary scale is £140,025 to £160,224 per annum. Progression through the scale is by
annual increments, subject to satisfactory performance.
Performance related pay up to 20% of base salary, based on annual assessment
against performance targets.
Details pertaining to Southwark’s complaints procedure can be found at:
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCouncil/ContactSection/complaintscompliementscom
ments.html
This information is being provided as a statutory obligation under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. Please note that under the Privacy and Electronic
Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 Southwark Council ask not to receive
unsolicited marketing communications.
You are free to use the information provided for your own purposes, including any non-
commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of news reporting. Any other
re-use, for example commercial publication, requires the permission of the copyright
holder. You may apply for permission to re-use this information by submitting a request
to [Southwark Borough Council request email]; you can find details on these arrangements at
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCouncil/Copyright. Detailed advice about the Reuse
of Public Sector Information Regulations (PSI) 2005 is available from the Office of Public
Sector Information at:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/advice/index.htm.
If you have any queries or concerns then please contact us using the above details.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and
wish to make an appeal for a review of our decision, you should write to the Corporate
Access to Information Manager at:
Corporate Access to Information Manager
Room 3.12
Town Hall
Peckham Road
London SE5 8UB
Email: [Southwark Borough Council request email]
If you are not content with the outcome your appeal, you may apply directly to the
Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner
cannot make a decision unless you have first exhausted our internal appeal procedure
and you should contact him within 2 months of the outcome of your internal appeal.
Further information on the Freedom of Information Act is available through the
Information Commissioner at the:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Legal & Democratic Services, Floor 3 ,Town Hall, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UB
Switchboard - 020 7525 5000
Website - www.southwark.gov.uk
Chief Executive – Annie Shepperd
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545 700
Internet: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
Yours sincerely,
Janet McDonald
Corporate Access to Information Officer
Legal & Democratic Services
Legal & Democratic Services, Floor 3 ,Town Hall, Peckham Road, London SE5 8UB
Switchboard - 020 7525 5000
Website - www.southwark.gov.uk
Chief Executive – Annie Shepperd
