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 Carruthers

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Request received on 26 August 2008
regarding council functions.

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000, and has been given the reference FOI 1319. Please
quote this reference if you need to contact us further.

Kindest regards

Luitha Tamaya
Freedom of Information Helpdesk
Suffolk County Council
Endeavour House
Russell Road
Ipswich
IP1 5PG

Tel: 01473 264618
Email: [Suffolk County Council request email]
<mailto:[Suffolk County Council request email]>
Web: www.suffolkcc.gov.uk

Emails sent to and from this organisation will be monitored in accordance
with the law to ensure compliance with policies and to minimise any
security risks.

Dear FOI Helpdesk,

response overdue

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers,

Please except our sincere apologises for the delay experienced in responding
to your request but it was very lengthy and it has taken considerable time
for us to collate a suitable response. At present, we still have one of your
questions outstanding but the answer will follow within the next few days.

If you are unhappy with this response to your request for information, you
should use the standard complaints process for the council, details of which
can be accessed through the following link:
http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemo....
htm
<http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemo...
.htm> . If you are unable to access our website for any reason please
telephone us and we will be happy to send you a form. If you are not content
with the outcome of the internal review, you have a right to apply direct to
the Information Commissioner for a decision.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Wycliff House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone (01625) 545700.

Information supplied in response to any Freedom of Information Act request
may be subject to copyright. A single copy of information supplied under the
Freedom of Information Act may only be used for personal, non-commercial
research or study, unless stated otherwise. It must not be passed to
others, copied or re-published in whole or in part without permission from
the copyright owner. Any other use requires written permission from the
copyright holder. Any copyright statement that forms part of or in any way
refers to the information provided must not be altered or removed. If you
have any queries about this email, please contact me quoting the FOI
reference number 1319.

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988. You are free to use it for your own purposes,
including any non-commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of
news reporting. Any other reuse, for example commercial publication, would
require the permission of the copyright holder. Most documents supplied by
Suffolk County Council will have been produced by local government staff and
will be copyright of the council. Information you receive which is not
subject to the council's copyright continues to be protected by the
copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information
originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before
reproducing any third party information.

We hope this information meets with your approval.

Kind Regards,

Linda Goldsmith
Freedom of Information Helpdesk
Suffolk County Council
Endeavour House
Russell Road
Ipswich
Suffolk IP1 2BX
Tel:- 01473 264618
Email:- <mailto:[Suffolk County Council request email]>
[Suffolk County Council request email]

Emails sent to and from this organisation will be monitored in accordance
with the law to ensure compliance with policies and to minimise any
security risks.

Dear Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers,

Please find attached the outstanding aspect of your freedom of information
request:-

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.

Amount

Year

Settled

2005/06

£176,908

2006/07

£153,976

2007/08

£49,641

Please accept our apologises for the delay in providing this information.

Kind Regards,

Linda Goldsmith

Senior Audit Services Manager

Audit Services

Scrutiny and Monitoring Specialist Support Function

Endeavour House

8 Russell Road, Ipswich,

Suffolk, IP1 2BX

Tel: 01473 264248

Fax: 01473 216825

Email: [email address]

_____

From: Linda Goldsmith
Sent: 19 October 2008 14:41
To: '[FOI #2245 email]'
Subject: Freedom of Information Request (1319)

Dear Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers,

Please except our sincere apologises for the delay experienced in responding
to your request but it was very lengthy and it has taken considerable time
for us to collate a suitable response. At present, we still have one of your
questions outstanding but the answer will follow within the next few days.

If you are unhappy with this response to your request for information, you
should use the standard complaints process for the council, details of which
can be accessed through the following link:
http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemo....
htm
<http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemo...
.htm> . If you are unable to access our website for any reason please
telephone us and we will be happy to send you a form. If you are not content
with the outcome of the internal review, you have a right to apply direct to
the Information Commissioner for a decision.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Wycliff House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone (01625) 545700.

Information supplied in response to any Freedom of Information Act request
may be subject to copyright. A single copy of information supplied under the
Freedom of Information Act may only be used for personal, non-commercial
research or study, unless stated otherwise. It must not be passed to
others, copied or re-published in whole or in part without permission from
the copyright owner. Any other use requires written permission from the
copyright holder. Any copyright statement that forms part of or in any way
refers to the information provided must not be altered or removed. If you
have any queries about this email, please contact me quoting the FOI
reference number 1319.

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988. You are free to use it for your own purposes,
including any non-commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of
news reporting. Any other reuse, for example commercial publication, would
require the permission of the copyright holder. Most documents supplied by
Suffolk County Council will have been produced by local government staff and
will be copyright of the council. Information you receive which is not
subject to the council's copyright continues to be protected by the
copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information
originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before
reproducing any third party information.

We hope this information meets with your approval.

Kind Regards,

Linda Goldsmith
Freedom of Information Helpdesk
Suffolk County Council
Endeavour House
Russell Road
Ipswich
Suffolk IP1 2BX
Tel:- 01473 264618
Email:- <mailto:[Suffolk County Council request email]>
[Suffolk County Council request email]

Emails sent to and from this organisation will be monitored in accordance
with the law to ensure compliance with policies and to minimise any
security risks.