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 Mr Hardwicke Carruthers

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

I am writing to confirm that we received your information request on 23rd August 2008. For your information and future communications your request has been allocated the reference number FOI2008-281. Please quote this reference in any future correspondence.

We will consider your request and respond in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Our duty is to respond promptly, or at least within 20 working days.

Regards

Liz Man
Information Governance Manager

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Dear Sir or Madam,

Overdue. Complaints procedure engaged.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Mr Carruthers

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

I am responding to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) for information held by the Council which we received on 23 August 2008. Your request was titled "council functions". I will respond to each of the points raised in your request, as follows:

* Please find attached a survey of members time spent on council business that was undertaken in September 2006. This is all the information we hold in relation to the proportion of time spent by elected representatives on the activities listed in your request.

* Please find attached the reports for Member's allowances for the years 2005/6, 2006/7, 2007/8.

* For complaints information please see the Cabinet reports via these links:

2005/6 - http://cmis/CMISWebPublic/MeetingDocumen... (see A14 and associated appendices)

2006/7 - http://cmis/CMISWebPublic/MeetingDocumen... (See A15 and associated appendices)

2007/8 - http://cmis/CMISWebPublic/MeetingDocumen... (See A16 and associated appendices)

* Please see the above links for information on "local settlement" and the Local Government Ombudsmen.

* We do not have centralised complaints management team and therefore it is not possible to calculate the cost of administering complaints systems or the number of full time equivalent members of staff engaged in administering complaints/resolving them.

* Please explain what you mean by "total administrative costs" to enable us to respond this element of your request.

* The total numbers of staff employed by our authority (this is the total headcount excluding voluntary aided schools) for the years requested are:

2005/6 - 3749

2006/7 - 3810

2007/8 - 3695

* The Chief Executive's pay increases for the requested years are:

(Figures supplied to Gifty and Andre for review)

* The Chief Executive's "wages" do include performance related payments

* The Council considers its complaints system to be fit for purpose.

Copyright

Please note, all material provided by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in response to your request for information is for your personal, non-commercial use. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea reserves all rights in the copyright of the information provided. Any unauthorised
copying or adaptation of the information without express written confirmation from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will constitute an infringement of copyright. Any intention to re-use this information commercially will require consent. Please forward any requests for re-use of
information to the FOI officer

([Kensington & Chelsea Borough Council request email] <mailto:[Kensington & Chelsea Borough Council request email]> ).

Complaints

I trust this has satisfied your request. Should you be unhappy with the handling of your request, the Council has an internal complaints process for handling FOI Act complaints. Complaints are reviewed by the Town Clerk and Chief Executive or his nominee. A form is available from our website to
lodge your complaint (http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/yourcouncil/freed...). Please contact us if you do not have website access and we can provide you with a copy of the form.

Following this review, should you still be unhappy with how your information request has been handled, you have a further right to appeal to the Information Commissioner who is responsible for ensuring compliance with the FOI Act.

Liz Man
Information Governance Manager
Business Protection Team
Information Systems Division (ISD)
Room N108, First Floor, Kensington Town Hall
T: 020 7938 8227 F: 020 7361 3533
www.rbkc.gov.uk

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