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Cost of 'What the Council is doing for you' booklet
N Evans made this Freedom of Information request to Sheffield City Council
The request was partially successful.
From: N Evans
23 September 2009
Dear Sir or Madam,
I received this morning a booklet entitled 'What the Council is
doing for you'
This was delivered to what is clearly a business premises and so
the content is entirely irrelevant. The blurb in the front from the
council leader makes it clear the booklet explains what Council Tax
pays for. Businesses pay rates, not Council Tax.
Could you tell me how much each booklet cost to produce, including
all the meetings and design that went in to it, and an estimate as
to how many were delivered to business premises, along with the
cost of delivering them?
I also not Cllr Scriven states that the council will be
'highlighting over the next year the wide range of services we
provide for you' Could you tell me what amount of money has been
allocated to this, and what return you are expecting to make on
this investment?
I have made some effort to find you what exactly I get in return
for my business rates, which went up by 5% this year, so far with
no success. Could you tell me, or point me in the direction of
someone who can?
Regards
Nick Evans
From: Firstpoint@sheffield.gov.uk
Sheffield City Council
24 September 2009
Dear Nick
Thank you for your freedom of information email request received at First
Point.
Your request for this information has been forwarded to the Information
Officer, and will be dealt with as promptly as possible.
You should expect to receive a reply within 20 working days.
For more information visit the councils [1]freedom of information page
Please do not hesitate to contact [2]First Point again with any further
enquiries you may have.
At First Point we are committed to continually improving our service, if
you wish to comment on our service please fill in our [3]Customer
satisfaction survey. This will form an important part of our service
development.
Yours sincerely,
Customer Services
[4]First Point
show quoted sections
From: N Evans
22 October 2009
Dear [email address],
This request was due a response by the 21st October.
Could you provide an update please.
Yours sincerely,
N Evans
From: N Evans
16 December 2009
Dear Sheffield City Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Sheffield City
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Cost of 'What the Council is
doing for you' booklet'.
A response to this request was due on 21st October.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...
Yours faithfully,
N Evans
From: Firstpoint@sheffield.gov.uk
Sheffield City Council
17 December 2009
Dear N Evans
Thank you for your email enquiry to First Point regarding an Internal
Review of your Freedom of Information Request.
Your email is being dealt with by the Administration Officer in the Chief
Executive's Directorate.
For more information on how the Council deal with comments, complaints and
compliments, about how we run our services please see the following web
pages:
[1]http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-co...
[2]http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-co...
[3]http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-co...
Please do not hesitate to contact [4]First Point again with any further
enquiries you may have.
At First Point we are committed to continually improving our service, if
you wish to comment on our service please fill in our [5]Customer
satisfaction survey. This will form an important part of our service
development.
Yours sincerely,
Customer Services
[6]First Point
show quoted sections
From: N Evans
17 March 2010
Dear Sheffield City Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Sheffield City
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Cost of 'What the Council is
doing for you' booklet' placed on the 23rd `September 2009.
I requested an internal review in December 2009 and received a
confirmation of this on 17th December 2009. It is now 17th March
2010.
It is now 175 days since my first request, and 90 days since I
requested a review. You were legally obliged to provide a response
147 days ago.
Could you tell me what work has been done with regard to answering
this request, and tell me when I can expect a response.
Please note that I do not consider a 'copy and paste' response
similar to that which I received last time I requested a review to
be appropriate as this is my second review request.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...
Yours faithfully,
N Evans
From: Firstpoint@sheffield.gov.uk
Sheffield City Council
18 March 2010
Dear N Evans
Thank you for your email dated the 17/03/2010 regarding your freedom of
information request.
Your email enquiry has been forwarded to the relevant officer to look into
this matter.
There is more information regarding freedom of information on Sheffield
City Council's website at:
[1]http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-co...
Please do not hesitate to contact [2]First Point again with any further
enquiries you may have.
At First Point we are committed to continually improving our service, if
you wish to comment on our service please fill in our [3]Customer
satisfaction survey. This will form an important part of our service
development.
Yours sincerely,
Customer Services
[4]First Point
show quoted sections
From: N Evans
25 May 2010
Dear [email address],
Hello.
It is now over two months since I requested an internal review of
this request, and over 8 months since I made the request.
I still have not had a response.
I hope that now the local elections have passed I may receive a
response soon.
Please could you give me an indication as to when I will receive
the data I requested, and the feedback from the review?
Yours sincerely,
N Evans
From: Firstpoint@sheffield.gov.uk
Sheffield City Council
25 May 2010
Dear N Evans
Thank you for your follow up email enquiry to First Point regarding your
freedom of information request.
We are currently making investigation into this matter and will
be contacting the relevant officer to enquire why you appear not to have
received a reply.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Please do not hesitate to contact [1]First Point again with any further
enquiries you may have.
At First Point we are committed to continually improving our service, if
you wish to comment on our service please fill in our [2]Customer
satisfaction survey. This will form an important part of our service
development.
Yours sincerely,
Customer Services
[3]First Point
show quoted sections
From: Jones Mark (CEX)
Sheffield City Council
3 June 2010
Dear Mr Evans
Thank you for your enquiry.
Please accept my apologies for the time it has taken for us to reply to
your request. I have answered your questions in turn -
(1) Cost to produce the What the council is doing for you booklet: in
2009/10, £50,630 (including design and delivery).
(2) Number of booklets delivered: 14,100 to businesses, 237,900 to
households.
(3) Cost to deliver booklets: £6,500 to businesses, £10,500 to
households.
(4) Amount of money allocated to 'highlighting the wide range of services
we provide for you': there is no central budget for promoting or marketing
council services.
(5) What return is expected from (4): this information is not held. The
council aims to raise the profile of the services available to customers,
citizens, business partners etc, but there is no guarantee this will
result in or be the reason for an increase in the use of those services.
(6) What do I get in return for my business rates: Information on
services for business was included on pages 48 and 49 of the booklet -
relating to First Point for Business, Buy4Sheffield - public sector
contracts, BIG and Creative Sheffield’. For more information about
business rates please see the council's web page
[1]http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/business-eco... you
are a business rate payer to the council and want to discuss your
individual account, you can call 0114 273 4318.
If you have any queries about this response please let me know. Once again
I am sorry for the delay.
Yours sincerely
Mark Jones
Mark Jones, Information Management Officer.Business Information Solutions
(BIS), Sheffield City Council.Tel. 0114 273 6891/ 07966 932195Think green
- Don't print unless you must.
Sheffield - Where Everyone Matters Back the Bids! Support Sheffield's bid
to be the first UK City of Culture in 2013 at
www.sheffieldcityofculture.com Sheffield has been selected as a Candidate
Host City and will be part of England's bid to stage the 2018 FIFA World
Cup. Show your support at www.sheffield2018.co.uk, text ENGLAND to 62018
The information in this email is intended for the addressee(s) only. If
you are not the addressee, please tell us by using the reply facility in
your email software as soon as possible. Sheffield City Council cannot
accept any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this message
as it has been transmitted over a public network. If you suspect that the
message may have been intercepted or amended please tell us as soon as
possible. Sheffield City Council may monitor all email passing through its
networks.
References
Visible links
1. http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/business-eco...
From: N Evans
7 June 2010
Dear Jones Mark (CEX),
Hi Mark
Thank you for your reply. Do you know when I can expect the outcome
of the review into why the reply took 253 days instead of 20?
I have further questions about these figures. Please could you tell
me:
Why were the leaflets delivered to business addresses when the
introduction from Mr Scriven made it quite clear they were about
about Council Tax, which businesses do not pay?
Why did it cost almost 10.5x as much to deliver each copy to a
business as it did to deliver each copy to a resident?
The proportion of business and households in Sheffield who received
these booklets?
What proportion of the council's spending is on projects with
similarly unmeasurable outcomes as this one, and how is the success
of such projects measured? You say this was to 'raise the profile
of services' - but how do you measure it's effectiveness in doing
so, and what purpose did it serve? Was the leaflet a success, and
would you do something similar again?
None of the information in the booklet or on the page you linked to
gives any information on things funded by rates which directly
benefit my business.
Yours sincerely,
N Evans
From: Cunningham Steph (CEX)
Sheffield City Council
15 July 2010
Dear Mr Evans,
Thank you for contacting us in relation to the Council's Guide to
services. First of all I am sorry for the amount of time it has taken to
respond to your inquiries but I have had to review our records and speak
to colleagues.
I have reviewed the background of how your inquiry was dealt with and
unfortunately the information that was collated to respond to your inquiry
was not acted upon effectively which delayed responding to you directly.
Please accept my apologies for the delay and for any inconvenience caused.
However, you did receive a response to your original questions and I have
responded to your subsequent questions, please see below:
Q
Why were the leaflets delivered to business addresses when the
introduction from Mr Scriven made it quite clear they were about
about Council Tax, which businesses do not pay?
A
Those who are in business in the city and those who work for them pay
council tax. It was felt that this was a good way of getting the message
out to workplaces that the Council is working for them to provide the
services they use every day. We want to highlight the range of services
that we provide and how to get in touch with us.
Q
Why did it cost almost 10.5x as much to deliver each copy to a
business as it did to deliver each copy to a resident?
A
The Guide was delivered door to door for all residents as unaddressed
mail, along with another publication. As a result the guide's distribution
to all households was very cost effective. Door to door distribution to
businesses is not feasible so the guides to businesses were sent as second
class mail.
Q
The proportion of business and households in Sheffield who received
these booklets?
A
All businesses received the guide - 14,100. There are 235,000
households in Sheffield - 235,000 received booklets, the
remainder were distributed to venues such as libraries, GP surgeries,
Sheffield Homes Offices and supplied on request throughout the year
either to householders wanting an extra copy or to those wanting multiple
copies, such as advice centres, the Police, the Fire Service and other
similar organisations.
Q
What proportion of the council's spending is on projects with
similarly unmeasurable outcomes as this one, and how is the success
of such projects measured? You say this was to 'raise the profile of
services' - but how do you measure it's effectiveness in doing
so, and what purpose did it serve? Was the leaflet a success, and
would you do something similar again?
A
Customer feedback is important to us and we did include a feedback
panel in the guide (see page 10) for people to let us know what they think
of the guide and its contents. Such feedback is vital in helping us
develop our services and the guide in the future. We looked at their
comments and we are now using these to make additions and amendments to
the next edition. In terms of its success, we are getting positive
feedback from customers and many do recall the guide by name - 'What the
Council is doing for you' when calling for extra copies. We called the
guide 'What the Council is doing for you' to complement this key council
campaign for 2009/10.
Q
None of the information in the booklet or on the page you linked to
gives any information on things funded by rates which directly
benefit my business.
A
The Council's services are highlighted in the guide to show the range
of services we provide from libraries and sports centres to applying for
jobs in the council, lifelong learning and skills (for the delivery of
training and development programmes) and health and safety at work. In
addition, pages 48 and 49 details how as a business you can get in touch
with 'First Point for Business', a one point of contact with the Council
for all business needs. This is a new service, designed to offer advice
and help from one place, instead of individual businesses having to
contact a number of service areas.
I hope this information is of use and if I can be of any further help
please contact me.
Regards
Steph Cunningham
Communications Manager - Service Delivery
Communications Service
Deputy Chief Executive's Team
Sheffield City Council
Room 302, Town Hall
Pinstone Street
Sheffield S1 2HH
Tel: 0114 203 9070 or 0796 9255584
[email address]
[1]www.sheffield.gov.uk
Sheffield - Where Everyone Matters Back the Bids! Support Sheffield's bid
to be the first UK City of Culture in 2013 at
www.sheffieldcityofculture.com Sheffield has been selected as a Candidate
Host City and will be part of England's bid to stage the 2018 FIFA World
Cup. Show your support at www.sheffield2018.co.uk, text ENGLAND to 62018
The information in this email is intended for the addressee(s) only. If
you are not the addressee, please tell us by using the reply facility in
your email software as soon as possible. Sheffield City Council cannot
accept any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this message
as it has been transmitted over a public network. If you suspect that the
message may have been intercepted or amended please tell us as soon as
possible. Sheffield City Council may monitor all email passing through its
networks.
References
Visible links
1. file://www.sheffield.gov.uk
From: N Evans
15 July 2010
Dear Cunningham Steph (CEX),
Your reply is incorrect. I work in the city but do not pay Council
Tax here as I live in Rotherham. Judging by the number of people on
the Parkway in the morning, I suspect I am not the only one.
However, could you tell me why it was felt that those who do both
live and work in Sheffield would need a copy of the booklet at
work, where presumably they are busy working, when they would
already have a copy at home?
As the booklet was largely irrelevant to businesses, can I ask if
the option of just not sending a copy to businesses was considered?
Can you tell me who it was who made the decision to send a booklet
about services that are not available to businesses via post to
businesses, as perhaps they will be better able to explain the
rationale behind the decision. I repeat my earlier statement that
none of the services mentioned benefit my business. In return for
£800 per month in rates you don't even empty my bin.
Could you tell me how many people filled in the feedback form, and
what in detail that feedback was, or do I need to raise another FOI
request for that?
I note that you did not answer the question as to how the success
of the booklet was measured. Will you have measurable criteria for
the next issue, and if so, what are those criteria? Could you also
confirm whether or not the booklet will be delivered to businesses
in future?
I also am still waiting for the details of the internal review in
to why the response took so long.
Regards
N Evans
From: Cunningham Steph (CEX)
Sheffield City Council
15 July 2010
Mr Evans, thanks for your email. There is no need to ask under FOI, I will respond to your questions and happy to detail the feedback we have received.
Best wishes
Steph
Steph Cunningham
Communications Manager - Service Delivery
Communications Service
Deputy Chief Executive's Team
Sheffield City Council
Room 302, Town Hall
Pinstone Street
Sheffield S1 2HH
Tel: 0114 203 9070 or 0796 9255584
[email address]
www.sheffield.gov.uk
show quoted sections
From: Cunningham Steph (CEX)
Sheffield City Council
30 July 2010
Dear Mr Evans,
Further to your email. Please find attached feedback which we are happy to provide you regarding the guide.
The reason why businesses were included in the distribution was that Firstpoint for Business had been recently launched and the guide was an appropriate way of communicating this to businesses in Sheffield. We are not intending to deliver the guide to business addresses this year. The feedback that was given, as I had earlier outlined, will feed in to improving our services.
I had explained and apologised in my earlier email that I have reviewed why there was a delay in responding to you and due to a regrettable administrative error and change in staff, your response was not progressed as quickly as it should have been.
Regards
Steph Cunningham
Communications Manager - Service Delivery
Communications Service
Deputy Chief Executive's Team
Sheffield City Council
Room 302, Town Hall
Pinstone Street
Sheffield S1 2HH
Tel: 0114 203 9070 or 0796 9255584
[email address]
www.sheffield.gov.uk
show quoted sections
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