Local Government Ombudsman

Dear Mrs Johnson,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 request ref.: OCE080804

Thank you for your request for information about Ombudsman decisions. Your
request was received on 26 August 2008 and I am dealing with it under the
terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. A full response to your
request will be issued before the 20 working day deadline of 22 September
2008.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely,

Amy Hardiman
FOI & Corporate Complaints Coordinator
Communications Team
Office of the Chief Executive
Wolverhampton City Council
01902 550363

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Dear Mrs Johnson,

Freedom of Information request- ref. OCE080804

Thank you for your request for information which we received on 26 August
2008. I apologise for the delay in responding to you.

In your request, you asked for the following information:

a) How many findings of maladministration the local government ombudsman
has made against your council over the last 10 years.

b) How many findings of maladministration your council, either in full or
in part, has refused to accept.
c) How many findings of maladministration your council has accepted but
refused to comply, either in full or in part, with the local government
ombudsman's recommended remedy.

I am pleased to provide the following information:

The information that you have requested is contained within annual letters
sent to the authority by the Local Government Ombudsman. These letters can
be viewed by following this link:
[1]http://www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/governme...

Unfortunately, the letters are only available for the last three years.
The Council does not keep a separate statistical record of findings of
maladministration. The Council does keep records of Ombudsman enquiries
back to 2000/2001; however, it is estimated that the time required to
interrogate these records in order to produce the information that you
have requested would be in the region of 20-25 hours. Therefore, the
estimated cost of complying with your request is £500- £625 and would
exceed the appropriate limit of £450, as specified in the Freedom of
Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations
2004. Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act the Council is
not obliged to comply with your request and we will not be processing your
request further.

With regard to the second two points of your request, the Council does not
have a record of ever having refused to accept a finding of
maladministration or a recommended remedy. Where the Ombudsman makes a
recommendation for a remedy or a local settlement, the authority may
negotiate with the Ombudsman until a satisfactory remedy/settlement for
all parties is achieved.

In the last eight years, the Ombudsman has issued one report finding
maladministration against Wolverhampton City Council. The Council accepted
the finding and the receommended remedy. The report summary can be viewed
by following this link: [2]http://www.lgo.org.uk/other.htm#Local_ta...

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
please write to:

Mel Whyatt
Communications & Customer Relations Adviser
Wolverhampton City Council
Civic Centre, St Peter's Square
Wolverhampton
WV1 1SH
[3][email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted
the complaints procedure provided by the council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,

Amy Hardiman
FOI & Corporate Complaints Coordinator
Communications Team
Office of the Chief Executive
Wolverhampton City Council
01902 550363

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