26 June 2009

Mr S Hardwicke Carruthers

Via email ([FOI #9695 email])

Our ref: CS/09/054/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 Hardwicke Carruthers

Request for information

In your email of 25 March, you asked for information in relation to Gloucestershire CC and the London Borough of Havering since 2005. You asked for all documents sent to these two authorities identifying:

a) that there were problems with the councils' complaints systems;

b) that there were no problems with the councils' complaints systems; and

c) that the failure of either council to have a properly functioning complaint system as identified in its constitution would support breaches of citizens human rights.

We have no documents relating to (c) above. The only documents we have that comment on the councils' complaints systems are our annual letters. I attach the letters for 2006 and extracts from the 2005 letters (the 2005 were not published, whereas the 206 ones were); the letters for 2007 and 2008 are on our website, as you know.

You said you wanted this information because the 2008 annual letters say that the Ombudsmen have no concerns about these councils' complaints systems yet, you claim, the Six Lives report refers to poor complaints handling and that Gloucestershire CC failed to follow its procedures. You go on to ask for details of any changes proposed to our working practices because the “Ombudsmen have identified that the complaints procedures at Gloucestershire County Council and LB of Havering were deficient.”

There are no changes proposed to our working practice. As you say yourself, the Six Lives reports refers to the procedures not being followed - not that the procedures themselves are deficient. There is, therefore, no contradiction between the statements made in the annual letters and in the Six Lives report.

/…

That concludes my response, and I apologise for the delay. 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

LGO 01 (03/08)