Dear Sir or Madam,

Please provide the policy of the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO)
in relation to proven lies being told to it by
Councils/officers/complainants.

Clearly Standards in Public Life require honesty and integrity from
all public servants. What is the policy of the LGO in relation to
its investigations being wilfully misled by Councils/officers?

Is any audit done by the LGO to determine as to whether any of
their investigations have been corrupted by deliberately
misleading/untruthful responses to their enquiries from
Councils/officers/complainants. If yes please provide
documentation/evidence of this.

If the LGO had definitive documentary evidence in its possession of
lies being related to its investigators or an Ombudsman what action
is dicated by policy?

Are there any policies present at the LGO to address the three
following scenarios?

A/ Proven fabricated documents being provided to the LGO by
Councils/officers/complainants that impact on the decision making
process.

B/ Proven tampered with/altered documents being provided to the LGO
by Councils/officers/complainants that impact on the decision
making process.

C/ Proven wilful or deliberate lies being told to the LGO by
Councils/officers/complainants that impact on the decision making
process.

If there any such policies, procedures or internal documentation as
regards the above please supply them.

The LGO is subject to the "Nolan" Standards in Public Life. Does
the LGO expect all public servants involved in his investigations
in any way to always tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth? Please supply the LGO documentation and guidance in
relation to Standards in Public Life.

Yours faithfully,

Arthur Peasgill

Dear Mr Peasgill

Our ref: CS/09/116

This is to acknowledge receipt of your request for information, which we received on 3 November. We will respond within the 20 working day target (which would be by 1 December 2009) or, if unable to do so, we will write to you again explaining why.

Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's offfice | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
|

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Dear Mr Peasgill

Our ref: CS/09/116

I attach a letter in response to your request below, along with to documents referred to in the letter.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's offfice | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
|

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Dear Foi Officer,

Please conduct an internal review of this request.

I am told that the members code attached is not valid and was not
authorised by the CLAE it was imposed by Chairs Action in October
2008 when the CLAE Code on Access to Information was lost. Can the
correct Code be provided if this is correct?

I am also interested as to how the Standards of Public Life impact
on the LGO. Honesty and integrity are a vital part of these
standards. Do these standards work both ways in relation to the
LGO? By this I mean that the LGO surely doesn't lie and doesn't
expect other public authorities to lie to it. Are lies accepted by
the LGO and never investigated even if brought to their attention
whatever the circumstances? This is vitally important in the light
of the new responsibilities being given to the LGO. Does the LGO
act on lies told to it and brought to its attention during one of
its investigations? If it does not that would be a worrying state
of affairs at a so called impartial and independent public body.

This has not been addressed in your response.

Yours sincerely,

Arthur Peasgill

Dear mr Peasgill

I attach a letter from Mr Karney in response to your message below.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's offfice | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
|

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