Dear Sir or Madam,

Pre-question clarification: A complaint against a council may
consist purely on an administrative error or it may also include a
potentially criminal act and/or infringements of a complainants
civil rights (legal and/or human rights).

Therefore, I would like the following information, over the last 12
months, as a percentage of total complaints against the council how
many ended up being dealt with by,

1)the Local Government Ombudsman?

2)the Police?

3)Solicitors and/or the courts?

Yours faithfully,

Trevor R Nunn

Dear Mr Nunn,

FOI Request ref 2008 / 355 / Complaints

Thank you for your request for information about complaints. Your
request was received on 6 October and I am dealing with it under the
terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We always aim to respond as quickly as possible, and certainly by 3
November, which is the 20 working day deadline. The deadline is counted
from the first working day we receive it, not the date a letter is
written / posted or an email sent.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I
will let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

Please quote the above reference number in any communication regarding
this particular request.

Yours sincerely

Jane Bartlett
Freedom of Information Officer
C6F, County Hall
St Anne's Crescent
Lewes BN7 1SW
Tel 01273 482913 Fax 01273 481208
email [East Sussex County Council request email]
www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi

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As promised in our email of 6 October, I am writing to advise the
outcome of our search for the information you requested on that date.

You asked for details about complaints against the Council. Your
specific questions, together with our response, are at the end of this
email.

I hope that this answers your enquiry. If you are unhappy with the way
the County Council has handled your request under FOI you may ask for an
internal review. If you wish to do so, please set out the grounds of
your appeal in writing to Andrew Ogden, Director of Law and Personnel,
East Sussex County Council, County Hall, St Anne's Crescent, Lewes, East
Sussex, BN7 1SW, or by email to him at [email address].

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you then
have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision
unless you have exhausted the County Council's internal review procedure
as described in the previous paragraph. The Commissioner can be
contacted at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Tel: 01625 545 700.
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Please quote the above reference number in any communication regarding
this particular request.

Yours sincerely

Jane Bartlett
Freedom of Information Officer
East Sussex County Council
C6F, County Hall
St Anne's Crescent
Lewes
East Sussex
BN7 1SW

Phone: 01273 482913 Fax: 01273 481208
email: [email address] web: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi

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