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;

Information not held in a material form.

2

Sitting on committees;

Information not held in a material form.

3

Acting for the political parties that they represent and/or ceremonial duties (all time not spent on sitting on a committee or resolving a complaint against the executive.

Information not held in a material form.

Total time spent by an elected representative for a council on these three activities should be 100% of the time they spend working for a council as an elected representative.

4

(a) How much in total was paid to local councillors to meet all their duties (including expenses) for 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 by your authority and

(b) how many elected representatives are (and were) represented on your authority for these years?

Information available in the Budget Books on the Internet http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/main.cfm?Type=YCFIN&MenuId=287

2005/06 = 44

2006/07 = 44

2007/08 = 44

5

(a) How many complaints in total were submitted to your council in 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 for each year?

(b) How many of these complaints were formally considered by an elected representative for each of these years.

(a) Only record upheld complaints:

2005/06 = 113 upheld complaints

2006/07 = 123 upheld complaints

2007/08 = 61 upheld complaints

(b) Information not held.

6

(a) How many complaints against the executive (council staff) led to the elected representatives formally identifying that the executive had acted wrongly for the years 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 and how many of these formal determinations by the elected representatives identify that there was no wrong-doing by the executive.

(b) How many staff employed by the authority in 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 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.

(a) None.

(b) None

7

How much money did the council pay 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 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08.

2005/06 = £250

2006/07 = None

2007/08 = None

8

(a) How much money, either in the form of local settlement or additional formal finding of administration 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)).

(b) Please detail any recommendation that has not been met in full and provide a copy of the Elected representatives' decision.

(c) Please additionally identify if these costs were met directly by Council Tax Payers or the Council's insurers (excluding self insurance by a Council)

(a) Local settlements were agreed with the Ombudsman's office as follows:

2005/06 compensation of £918 in one case;

2006/07 compensation of £50 in one case;

2007/08 compensation of £250 plus payment of valuation fee and reasonable legal fees in one case. All recommendations of the Ombudsman were met in full.

(b) None.

(c) The cost of any compensation payable was met directly by the Council.

9

(a) 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

(b) the number of staff employed in administering complaints and resolving these (Full time equivalent staffing levels).

(a) Information not held in a material form.

(b) Number of staff involved in monitoring complaints = 3

Number of staff responsible for investigating and resolving complaints = 14 approx.

10

Please also provide details of your

(a) total administrative costs for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 and

(b) the total number of staff employed by your authority, as well as

(c) any pay increase (including increments) made to the Council's Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) in pounds sterling for each of these years.

(d) Please additionally identify if the Chief Executives wages included performance related payments.

(a) Total administrative costs:

2005/06 = £1,076,000

2006/07 = £1,147,000

2007/08 = £1,022,000

(b) Number of staff:

2005/06 = 363

2006/07 = 391

2007/08 = 333

(c ) Pay increases to CEO

2005/06 = £2,175

2006/07 = £2,238

2007/08 = £18,300*

*Due to a re-evaluation in year 2007/08 the CEO's salary moved to a different scheme.

(d) No performance related payments were made.

11

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.

N/A

12

(a) 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).

(b) Please name the current Electoral Registration and Returning Officer, and identify if they are also Head of Paid Service, and Clerk to your Authority.

(c) Please additionally provide any documentation maintained by your Local Authority's 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.

(a) The Council's complaints system is fit for purpose.

(b) The Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer of the Council is John Mitchell, the Council's Head of Service.

(c) N/A