council functions

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS made this Freedom of Information request to Enfield Council

Waiting for an internal review by Enfield Council of their handling of this request.

From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

23 August 2008

Dear Sir or Madam,

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
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 Local
Government Ombudsman, Valuation Tribunal or similar body) 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 year) and if the Local Government Ombudsman's recommendations
have been met in full (including any non-financial recommendations
for each year)). Please detail any recommendation that has not been
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 insurance 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, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 and the number
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 authority,
as well as any pay increase (including increments) made to the
Council's Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) in pounds sterling
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
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.

Yours faithfully

Stuart HARDWICKE CARRUTHERS

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Enfield Council

23 August 2008

An account has been created for you with the following User ID and
password:
Email: [FOI #2038 email]
Password: kld82Mte

We encourage you to log in to our support site and change your
password, by clicking the following link, or pasting it into your
browser:
http://enfield-council.custhelp.com/cgi-...

===============================================================

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Enfield Council

23 August 2008

[1]Enfield Logo

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your enquiry, which we are currently dealing with.

[2]To update your question from our support site, click here.

Question Reference No080823-000001
Question: Freedom of Information request - council functions
Date Created: 23/08/2008 05.12 PM
Last Updated: 23/08/2008 05.12 PM
Status: Unresolved

Discussion Thread
Customer (Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS) 23/08/2008 05.12 PM
==================== text File Attachment ====================
Attachment 1.txt, 5971 bytes, added to incident

References

Visible links
2. http://enfield-council.custhelp.com/cgi-... #2038 email]&p_next_page=myq_upd.php&p_iid=1888&p_created=1219507952

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From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

27 September 2008

Dear Enfield Council,

Overdue. Complaints procedure engaged.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

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Enfield Council

27 September 2008

[1]Enfield Logo

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your enquiry, which we are currently dealing with.

[2]To update your question from our support site, click here.

Question Reference No080927-000000
Question: Re: Freedom of Information request - council functions
Date Created: 27/09/2008 09.26 PM
Last Updated: 27/09/2008 09.26 PM
Status: Unresolved

Discussion Thread
Customer (Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS) 27/09/2008 09.26 PM
Dear Enfield Council,

Overdue. Complaints procedure engaged.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

show quoted sections

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From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

27 September 2008

Dear Enfield Council,

So wy fon't you meet the your own standards?

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

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Enfield Council

27 September 2008

[1]Enfield Logo

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your enquiry, which we are currently dealing with.

[2]To update your question from our support site, click here.

Question Reference No080927-000001
Question: Re: Freedom of Information request - council functions
Date Created: 27/09/2008 11.41 PM
Last Updated: 27/09/2008 11.41 PM
Status: Unresolved

Discussion Thread
Customer (Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS) 27/09/2008 11.41 PM
Dear Enfield Council,

So wy fon't you meet the your own standards?

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

show quoted sections

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From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

28 June 2009

Dear Enfield Council,

How is your internal review progressing

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Link to this

Enfield Council

29 June 2009

[1]Enfield Logo

Response
Dear Sir / Madam

We acknowledge your request for information received on 29/06/2009 09.27 AM

Your request has been passed to the Freedom of Information Team. This team will contact you directly with
the name and contact details of the Council Officer responsible for handling your request.

If the information you are seeking exists, and we are not prevented from releasing it by an exemption, the
Council aim to provide you with the information within 20 working days from receipt of your request.

Yours Sincerely
Enfield Council

Dear Sir / Madam

We acknowledge your request for information received on 29/06/2009 09.27 AM

Your request has been passed to the Freedom of Information Team. This team will contact you directly with
the name and contact details of the Council Officer responsible for handling your request.

If the information you are seeking exists, and we are not prevented from releasing it by an exemption, the
Council aim to provide you with the information within 20 working days from receipt of your request.

Yours Sincerely
Enfield Council

Thank you for your question. Please take a look at these Answers from our knowledge base that might answer
your question.
Discussion Thread
Customer (Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS) 29/06/2009 09.27 AM
Dear Enfield Council,

How is your internal review progressing

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

show quoted sections

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Enfield Council

3 July 2009

Dear Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers,

I have been passed your recent comment/question regarding how our internal
review is getting on? I would welcome some further explanation as to
exactly what you are enquiring about.

This enquiry has come to me as I e-mailed you on the 29 September 2008
responding to a number of questions you raised under a FOI. I'm sorry if
your subsequent request means you're not happy with my reply and would very
much appreciate some further information as I'm not sure what this enquiry
relates to.

I will be on annual leave between the 7th and 23rd July but will address
any further issues you may have when I return.

Melanie Harris
DL 020 8379 4199

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From: Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

7 July 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Could you reforward the email as I don't appear to have a copy

Yours faithfully,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

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Enfield Council

7 July 2009

I will be out of the office starting 06/07/2009 and will not return until
24/07/2009.

If the matter is urgent, please contact Rhoda Aldridge on 020 8379 4119
or John Austin on 020 8379 4094 or Stephen Addison on 020 8379 4097

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Enfield Council

28 July 2009

Mr. Hardwicke Carruthers,

I do not have the actual e-mail from you but I was sent (in the format of
our incoming FOI system) on the 29.06.09 your question, as follows -

Re: Internal review of Freedom of Information request council functions -
Your Question - How is your internal review progressing.

I have looked back on your original FOI request to us in September 2008 and
there is no reference to any review so I am still unsure what further
information you would like from us.

I'm sorry I can't be more helpful but if you would like to discuss this
further you could give me a call on my direct line - 020 8379 4199

Melanie Harris
DL 020 8379 4199

Stuart Hardwicke
CARRUTHERS
<request-2038-bb9 To
bdddb@whatdotheyk [email address]
now.com> cc

07/07/09 08:22 Subject
Re: Freedom of Information request
- council functions

Dear Sir or Madam,

Could you reforward the email as I don't appear to have a copy

Yours faithfully,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

show quoted sections

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Things to do with this request

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