Dear Sir or Madam, i would like to know how much your education HR
Dept spent this year hiring external halls or buildings for
training and meetings ect including what tax payers money was spent
on meals ect.

Yours faithfully,

Concerned taxpayer

Dear Sir or Madam,

Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

We are writing to acknowledge receipt of your email, dated 9th October,
in which you request the disclosure of information under the provisions
of the above Act.

We draw your attention to Section 8(1) of the Act, which states:

"(1) In this Act any reference to a "request for information" is a
reference to such a request which-

a) is in writing,

b) states the name of the applicant and an address for
correspondence, and

c) describes the information requested."

Lancashire County Council will, of course, proceed with your request in
its current form; however, we would be grateful if you could supply us
with your name for future correspondence.

In the meantime, we shall begin a search for the information you are
seeking and contact you again when we are in a position to respond
further. Should you have any queries about any of the above, do not
hesitate to contact us quoting ref. MS/551/2008

Yours faithfully,

Mr M Sayles

Access to Information Manager

Freedom of Information

Lancashire County Council

PO Box 78

County Hall

Preston
PR1 8XJ

Tel. 01772 531116

Fax. 01772 530949

Email: [Lancashire County Council request email]

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A 4-star council: awarded top marks by the Audit Commission
********************

Dear Sir or Madam,

Request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

Further to your email, dated 9th October, in which you request the disclosure of information under the provisions of the above Act, we are now in a position to respond.

Lancashire County Council's Education HR Department spent the following on hiring external venues for staff training during the 2007/08 academic year:

29/11/2007 - Barton Grange was hired for a total cost of £760 (20 delegates charged at a 'Day Delegate rate' of £38 per delegate)

29/01/2008 - Clayton Park Conference Centre was hired for a total cost of £592.20 for 20 delegates. The cost can be broken down as follows: Room Hire - £232; LCD Projector Hire - £40; Photocopies - £2; Lunch - £140; Refreshments - £90 = Total £504 + £88.20 VAT

01/02/2008 - Northbridge House Business Centre (Burnley) was hired for a total cost of £534.35 for 25 delegates. The cost can be broken down as follows: Room Hire - £195; LCD Projector Hire - £40; Photocopies - £6.02; Lunch - £123.75; Refreshments - £90 = Total £454.77 + £79.58 VAT

25/04/2008 - Barton Grange was hired for a total cost of £1261 for 41 delegates. The cost can be broken down as follows: Room Hire - £400; Lunch - £635.50; Refreshments - £225.50

05/06/2008 - Northbridge House Business Centre (Burnley) was hired for a total cost of £568.70 - (22 delegates were charged at a 'Day Delegate rate' of £22 per delegate = Total £484 + £84.70 VAT)

11/06/2008 - Lancaster House Hotel was hired for a total cost of £733.11 for 24 delegates. The cost can be broken down as follows: Room Hire - £229.13; Lunch - £214.80; Refreshments - £180 = Total £623.93 + £109.18 VAT

Because the events of 29/11/2007 and 05/06/2008 were charged at 'Day Delegate rate' there is no breakdown for cost of room hire, lunch etc. However, both of the venues concerned have been used at other times included above where there have been separate charges for room hire and refreshments so it is possible that the proportion of total costs for lunch and refreshments are fairly similar.

Wherever possible (and in the majority of cases), County Council premises such as County Hall, the Red Rose Hub, Woodlands Conference Centre and Lancashire College are used as venues for Education HR team meetings and training courses.

Please note also that Part IV of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 defines schools as separate public authorities for the purposes of the Act. Consequently, in the event that you wish to enquire how much schools have spent on hiring 'external venues' for training etc. for their staff, your enquiry will need to be addressed to each of the schools within Lancashire separately; details of the schools within Lancashire can be found on the website of the Lancashire Grid for Learning at the following URL:

http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/schooldetails...

We trust that our response is to your satisfaction, but in the event that you wish to complain about the manner in which your enquiry has been handled, you should write in the first instance to The Freedom of Information Officer, Lancashire County Council, PO Box 78, County Hall, Preston PR1 8XJ, or email [Lancashire County Council request email]

If, after this stage, you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to refer the matter to the Information Commissioner, whose contact details are as follows:

The Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545700

Email: [email address]

Website: http://www.ico.gov.uk <http://www.ico.gov.uk/>

If you have any queries regarding our response, or you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours sincerely,

Mr M Sayles

Access to Information Manager

Freedom of Information

Lancashire County Council

PO Box 78

County Hall

Preston

PR1 8XJ

Tel: (01772) 531116

Fax: (01772) 530949

Email: [Lancashire County Council request email]

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A 4-star council: awarded top marks by the Audit Commission
********************