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

Thank you for your request which is receiving attention.

Kevin Carr
Legal and Democratic Services

show quoted sections

Dear Carr, Kevin,

Response overdue. Under the Freedom of Information Act you should
have replied by now, and are breaking the law. Review requested.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Sir

I refer to your request dated 23 August last and apologise for the delay in replying. Accordingly, I now set out below the Council's response. For ease of reference your request has been broken down into 15 separate questions ;

(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.

(1) Records of time spent by elected representatives are not kept on each of the "three" areas referred to . However I attach as a word document summaries of surveys of how much time members spend on Council business over a particular period (usually a cycle) which is conducted every year to assist the Members' Allowances Review Panel in their deliberations

<<Microsoft Word Document>> <<Picture (Metafile)>> <<Microsoft Word Document>> <<Picture (Metafile)>> <<Microsoft Word Document>> <<Picture (Metafile)>>

(2) 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

See attached word documents

<<Microsoft Word Document>> <<Picture (Metafile)>>

<<Microsoft Word Document>> <<Picture (Metafile)>>

<<Microsoft Word Document>> <<Picture (Metafile)>>

(3) How many elected representatives are (and were) represented on your
authority for these years.

37 elected representatives

(4) 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.

2005/06 - 421
2006/07 - 378
2007/08 - 426

(5) I would further like to know how many of these
complaints were formally considered by an elected representative for each of these years.

No complaints in any of the years were formally considered by a councillor. The Council's complaints procedures are delivered by staff. Councillors do receive a quarterly report which is a public document.

(6) 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.

There are no formal determinations by elected members. We do not keep records as to whether the Council has acted wrongly or correctly when investigating a complaint.

(7)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.

None

(8)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.

Separate records are not kept of where a complaint has received financial recompense following a complaints investigation. The Council's internal procedures require any compensation over £500 to be agreed by the Executive. There was one payment of £582.29 in 2005/06, one of £2,025.21 in 2006/07 and none in 2007/08

(9)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)).

There were no formal findings of maladministration causing injustice by the Ombudsman during the period 2005/08. Local settlements totalling £1,305 were made in 2005/06, £1,000 in 2006/07 and £741 in 2007/08 (all as recommended by the Local Government Ombudsman).

(10) Please detail any recommendation that has not been
met in full and provide a copy of the Elected representatives
decision.

N/A

(11) 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 Council is only aware of one case where the cost of the local settlement was met by the Council's insurers. This was a sum of £240 included in the total for 2007/08. However, as each local settlement comes out of the budget of the Division the subject of a complaint, I would not always be aware of any related insurance claim.

(12) 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).

Dealing with complaints FOI and DPA is an integral part of the job of a number of officers across the Council. There are no "complaints officers" as such. The time spent on dealing with complaints is not identified separately. As a result there are no records detailing the financial costs of administering our complaints system. (including FOI and DPA

(13) 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, .

Could you please clarify what is to be included in "total administrative costs". Number of staff employed ;

2005/06 - 941
2006/07 - 900
2007/08 - 914

(14) 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.

2005/06 - £5125.00
2006/07 - £5253.00
2007/08 - £2532.00

(15) Please additionally identify if the Chief
Executives wages included performance related payments.

Not performance related.

Yours Faithfully

Kevin Carr
Legal and Democratic Services
Crawley Borough Council