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

Mr Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers

27 August 2008

Dear Mr Carruthers

Re: Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations
- FOI & EIR Request No FOI00671.

Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act/ Environmental Information Regulations. We have received
your request and it has been passed to the appropriate Officer for
investigation.

As required by the Freedom of Information Act we will be responding to
you within the next 20 working days. However, there may be some
instances where it will not be possible to deal with such an application
within 20 working days. If this is the case we will contact you to give
an estimate of the date by which we expect to reach a decision.

Should you have any further enquiries about the progress of your request
for information, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer
quoting "FOI Request No. FOI00671" at one of the following addresses:

E-mail: [email address]

Letter: FOI Requests,
Pathfinder House,
St Mary's Street,
Huntingdon.
PE29 3TN

Fax: 01480 388317

Yours sincerely

IMD Support Team

Huntingdonshire District Council

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______________________________________________________________________

[FOI #2083 email]

15 September 2008

Dear Mr Carruthers

Re: Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations
- FOI and EIR Request No. FOI00671

Thank you for your recent request for information sent to
Huntingdonshire District Council.

You requested the following information:

"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."

We have calculated that the above request involves 33 questions for each
of three years - 99 in total. We will not be able to answer this request
within the statutory fee free time period.

Due to the potential time involved in gathering this information there
will be a cost for providing you with this.

I would be grateful if you could clarify this request, highlighting
specific information which you wish to have? Please let me know if you
do not wish to clarify this request, I will then send you a fee notice.

The 20 working day period, within which we are required to respond to
your request, has been stopped and will be restarted once we have
received this clarification.

Should you have any further enquiries about the progress of your request
for information, please contact the Freedom of Information Officer
quoting "FOI Request No. FOI00671" at one of the following addresses:

E-mail: [email address]

Letter: FOI Requests,
Pathfinder House,
St Mary's Street,
Huntingdon.
PE29 3TN

Fax: 01480 388317

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Horrex

Information Manager

Huntingdonshire District Council

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______________________________________________________________________