Database Search

Dear Local Government Ombudsmen,

Please provide details through a database search of each instance
over the last ten years the CLAE and/or LGO have identified the
following terms:

1 "false representation";
2 "failure to disclose information",
3 "abuse of position"
4 "failure to follow constitution"

by a Council, please identify the number of times each of these
terms are identified by year, and the Council identified to censure
by the LGO... additionally please identify the outcome of any
complaint to the LGO where the above were identified...

Yours faithfully,

Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers

Dear Foi Officer,

I don't use Microsoft Open Office XML Format (.xlsx) - would it be
possible to provide the information in an accessible format
(i.e.xls etc).

Would you additionally review your handling framework to take
account of software.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Foi Officer,

Firstly many thanks for the speadsheets in an accessible format.

You state in relation to the four searches requested: "Of the four,
we do not record instances of “false representation” and “abuse of
position”, so the information requested is not held. The other two
were “failure to disclose information” and “failure to follow
constitution”. The closest we have to these terms are “failure to
inform” and “improper constitution of committees”.

So, the only information I can give you are the results of database
searches on these latter two terms. There are two Excel
spreadsheets with this letter - one for each term. They each give a
list of complaints where that term has been recorded, broken down
by council and then by year. The outcome of each complaint is also
given.

Could I seek a little clarification as the first three terms that
searches were requested are taken from the fraud act 2006.

is failure to inform directly comparable with failure to disclose
information... ? or is it something different in LGO land.

any decision taken by a Council not following its scheme of
delegation is a nullity. The decision does not exist. Is making a
decision outside a Council's scheme of delegation a false
representation and abuse of position by the administrative
function.. and does this relate directly to "improper constitution
of committees" or is the meaning something different in LGO land.

Ideally, to understand your terms properly and the meaning of your
spreadsheets I would appreciate the definitions of the terms.. as
used in LGO land.

I am aware of several cases where a Council has provided false
information to the LGO.. and the LGO has exercised discretion to
discontinue their investigations.. is this also recorded as a term
within your data collection or grouped into the key words of which
searches were requested ?

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Foi Officer,

Then please provide the details of the search based on this term...
'Advice/information misleading/inaccurate in the format requested.

Please additionally provide the complaint references.

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Local Government Ombudsmen,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Local Government
Ombudsmen's handling of my FOI request 'Database Search'.

A search term as identified by the CLAE has been requested.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/da...

Yours faithfully,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Foi Officer,

Yes please

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS