Dear Sir or Madam,

Please provide copies of any documents from the Local Government
Ombudsmen and/or CLAE since 2005 to Gloucestershire County Council
or the London Borough of Havering identifying:

a) that there were problems with the complaints systems of the
Council's;

b) no problems with the complaints systems of the Council's

c) that the failure of the Council's to have a properly functioning
complaint system as identified in its constitution would support
breaches of citizens human rights;

Please identify by name the Ombudsmen responsible for the reports.

This is in the public interest as in 2008 in their annual letters
to Gloucestershire County Council and LB of Havering the Local
Government Ombudsmen: White stated that 'I have no concerns about
the way the Council’s complaints procedure is operating in relation
to Gloucestershire, and Redmond made a similar comment about LB
Havering.

Yet in the Ombudsmens report 'Six Lives' as effectively the CLAE to
the Mencap Report of 2006 'death by indifference' - related to six
avoidable deaths. The Deputy Chair of the CLAE LGO WHITE said:
'this report is not solely a concern for specialists in learning
disabilities'

What has caused LGO WHITE as Deputy Chairman of the CLAE to change
his mind and identify that there is poor complaints handling at
Gloucestershire County council, and that the Council failed to
follow its procedures.

Please provide details of any changes proposed by the Ombudsmen to
the working practices of the CLAE (i.e. guidance to staff) that
they intend to issue as the Ombudsmen having identified that the
complaints procedures at Gloucestershire County Council and LB of
Havering were deficient. It is anticipated that from other annual
reports that this failure is generic across all council's to which
the Ombudsmen with the CLAE provide a complaints service.

Yours faithfully,

Stuart Hardwicke Carruthers

Dear Sir or Madam,

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 'Gloucestershire & LB
Havering'.

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

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Mr Carruthers

Our ref: CS/09/054

I have to confess I accidentally overlooked this one. I will endeavour to respond to it quickly rather than passing it for a review, as there is nothing to review other than the fact it hasn't been answered.

I hope you will bear with me for a few days.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager
Local Government Ombudsman's Office
Tel: 020 7217 4734
www.lgo.org.uk

NOTICE - This message contains information intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you have received this message in error please advise us at once and do not make any use of the information.

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Dear Hilary Pook,

No problem

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Mr Carruthers

Our ref: CS/09/054

I attach a letter in response to the request below, along with some other attachments referred to in the letter. Sorry for the delay - thanks for your patience.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager
Local Government Ombudsman's Office
Tel: 020 7217 4734
www.lgo.org.uk

NOTICE - This message contains information intended only for the use of the addressee named above. If you have received this message in error please advise us at once and do not make any use of the information.

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Dear Foi Officer,

there is an issue with this and it relates to s76 of the FOIA.. and
in my view to the Social services issue as you are aware.

Many thanks for the information..

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS