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

Dear Sir

Thank you for your information request dated the 26 August in
connection with the above.

I attach a copy of my response for your records.

Regards

Penny Shorter | Departmental Information Guardian | Legal Team | Ext
3228
Isle of Wight Council | County Hall | Newport | Isle of Wight PO30 1UD
Tel: (01983) 823228 | Fax: (01983) 823699 | DX: 56361 NEWPORT (IOW)
Email: [email address] | Web: www.iwight.com
<blocked::http://www.iwight.com/>

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Important Information - Disclosure, Confidentiality and Monitoring of this email

This email communication may be monitored by the Isle of Wight Council for regulatory, quality control, or crime detection purposes.

If you are not the Intended Recipient please contact the sender as soon as possible. It is intended only for the personal attention of the named person, firm or company to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential in law. Accordingly any unauthorised dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message or any of its content by any other person may constitute a breach of civil or criminal law and is strictly prohibited. No mistake in transmission is intended to waive or compromise any such privilege. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Isle of Wight Council.

The information contained in this e-mail may be subject to disclosure to third parties under either the Data Protection Act 1998 or the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the extent the law allows and in accordance with the Isle of Wight Council's policies on information management. (If you wish the disclosure of the information in any reply to be restricted please make this clear in your response).

Dear Sir

Further to my email dated the 23 September, I can confirm that the current Chief Executive, Steve Beynon, receives a salary of £155,000 (from 28.7.08 and continuing). In addition, there are four increments (steps of £2,500) which are performance related with no upward adjustment for inflation.

I am still awaiting information in relation to the salaries paid to the two previous Chief Executives of this authority and I will forward this information to you as soon as it becomes available.

Please accept my apologies for the delay.

Regards

Penny Shorter| Departmental Information Guardian | Legal Team | Ext 3228
Isle of Wight Council | County Hall | Newport | Isle of Wight PO30 1UD
Tel: (01983) 823228 | Fax: (01983) 823699 | DX: 56361 NEWPORT (IOW)
Email: [email address] | Web: www.iwight.com <blocked::http://www.iwight.com/>

As part of our commitment to Eco Island please don't print unless necessary

Important Information - Disclosure, Confidentiality and Monitoring of this email

This email communication may be monitored by the Isle of Wight Council for regulatory, quality control, or crime detection purposes.

If you are not the Intended Recipient please contact the sender as soon as possible. It is intended only for the personal attention of the named person, firm or company to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is privileged and confidential in law. Accordingly any unauthorised dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message or any of its content by any other person may constitute a breach of civil or criminal law and is strictly prohibited. No mistake in transmission is intended to waive or compromise any such privilege. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of the Isle of Wight Council.

The information contained in this e-mail may be subject to disclosure to third parties under either the Data Protection Act 1998 or the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the extent the law allows and in accordance with the Isle of Wight Council's policies on information management. (If you wish the disclosure of the information in any reply to be restricted please make this clear in your response).

Dear Sir

Further to my email of the 5 November, I am now able to provide the following details in relation to the outstanding part of your request, relating to details of 'any pay increase (including increments) made to the Council's Chief Executive in pounds sterling for each of the years specified. Additionally identify if the Chief Executives wages included performance related payments'.

Financial Year

Pay increase

Notes

2005/06

£2667

Pay increase set by the Joint Negotiating Council

2006/07

£39,543

In addition to the pay increase agreed by the JNC, a change in Chief Executive during this financial year resulted in the post being re-evaluated and advertised at an increased salary.

2007/08

£3825

Pay increase set by the Joint Negotiating Council

£3168

Performance related pay

This now completes the matter. Once again, I apologise for the delay in forwarding this information to you.

Please contact me again if you require any further assistance on this matter and I will do my best to provide relevant help and advice.

If you have any complaints in respect of your information request, please write to the Information Management Team at the above address or complete the on-line appeals form that can be found at www.iwight.com/information. If your complaint is not resolved to your complete satisfaction, you have the ultimate right, once you have exhausted the internal appeals process, to appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Thank you for your patience in this matter.

Penny Shorter | Departmental Information Guardian | Legal Services
County Hall | Newport | Isle of Wight PO30 1UD
Tel: (01983) 823228 | Fax: (01983) 823699 |
Email: [email address] | Web: www.iwight.com <blocked::file://fscorp/fscorpdata/Communications%20and%20Public%20Relations/Internal%20Comms/(BT)%20Managers'%20briefing/www.iwight.com>

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