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

[Subject only] FW: Ref: FOI 4750 & 4751

show quoted sections

Dear McFadden Kerri,

Response overdue

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Mr Hardwicke Carruthers,

Please find below the response to your request from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, For ease of response I have split your requests, giving answers as appropriate in blue type. I apologise for the delay in responding to you and am attaching a copy of our 'Have your Say' document which gives details of how to contact ourselves or the Information Commissioners Office should you wish to do so.

In addition if you feel we have not fully answered your questions or you need more information from us then please do not hesitate to contact us again.

1) 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.

We do not keep a record of the amount of time spent by our Elected representatives on their duties as elected representatives, and are therefore not in a position to answer this query.

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.

In 2005 / 6 with 64 elected representatives our total spend was £ 541,006

In 2006 / 7 with 63 elected representatives our total spend was £ 554,989

In 2007 / 8 with 64 elected representatives our total spend was £568,131

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.

For 2005 / 6 total number of complaints was 373

For 2006 / 7 total number of complaints was 432

For 2007 / 8 total number of complaints was 569

We have no complaints formally considered by an elected representative for any 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.

Nil for each of the three years.

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)

The amount paid for each of the three years is

2005 / 6 £350

2006 / 7 £575

2007 / 8 Nil

All recommendations by the Local Government ombudsman have been met in full by

the Council for each of the three years.

Costs have been met by Council Tax Payers for each of the three years.

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.

Costs for administering complaints:

2005 / 6 £12,442.26 1 member of staff, 100% on this function

2006 / 7 £ 23,567.83 1 member of staff 100% on this function

2007 / 8 £39,540.12 2 members of staff - 60% on this function *

The information is not held in the format requested, however the cost of the members of staff involved have been shown.

* Salaries for the 60% of time have been shown, these two members of staff also provided other functions not connected with complaints.

The Total number of staff employed by the Authority varies almost on a daily basis as staff resign and others are employed.

Levels currently show 8500, including casuals, teaching staff, full and part time workers. We cannot differentiate administrative costs for you as we do not hold this information in such a specific format.

Under section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we are not in a position to release the salary of the chief executive as we consider this to be personal to himself. This follows recent decision by the Information Commissioner in which he refused to release his own salary as it is classed as personal information. We can release that the salary band on which he is paid can be found on the audited accounts on our website at www.blackburn.gov.uk <http://www.blackburn.gov.uk/> which shows:

2005 / 6 £122,145 - £133,869

2006 / 7 £138,816 - £150,888

2007 / 8 £ 142,251 - 154,623

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.

We feel that our complaints system is fit for purpose.

Many thanks,

Sue Smith

Information Manager

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 7DY

<http://www.blackburn.gov.uk>

mailto:[email address] <mailto:[email address]>

Tel : 01254 585761

fax 01254 668245