Performance Information

16 July 2010

Dear Mr Cole

Subject: Freedom of Information - Legal and Corporate Services -
Litigation

I refer to the request, which you have made under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 for records held by this department/office.

Acknowledgement

Your request dated 14 July 2010 was received by this department on 15
July 2010.

A final decision on your request would normally be sent to you within 20
working days of receipt of your request. This means that you can expect
to receive your decision by 12 August 2010.

There are some limited situations under the Freedom of Information Act,
which could mean that the period for a final decision may be longer than
the normal 20 working days. If this occurs in your request, we will
promptly advise you in writing.

Non reply by us deemed to be a refusal

If you have not heard from us once the allotted time has expired, you
are automatically entitled to appeal to this department for a review of
the matter. This review is a full and new examination of the matter ,
and is carried out by a more senior member of staff of this
department/office.

In the event that you need to make such an appeal, you can do so by
writing to Information Rights Officer of this department/office. You
should state that you are appealing because an initial decision was not
sent to you within the time permitted. In that event, you would normally
have 40 days (after the original decision should have been sent to you)
in which time to make the appeal.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights

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Dear Sir

You requested the following information:-

1. What were your three most recent CPA scores and the dates of the
scores

2. How much sickness absence have you had in the last three
financial years. I would like this as the average sickness rate for
the whole council, for the year, then broken down by the department
or the major service units in the council. I would also like to
have the most recent sickness rate as measured either monthly,
quarterly, or yearly.
For example, S/A 2007/08= xx days, 2008/09= xx days 2009/10 xx days
2010 (most recent date available)
Environmental services xx days
Corporate services xx days
Housing services xx days
Etc
3. How many departments do you have today? How many departments did
you have for each of the last 5 financial years?
4. How much have you paid consultants each year for the past three
financial years?
a. Who were the top 6 consultants to receive payments and the
amounts for each financial year? For example,
2008/9 xyz consultants 180k
123 consultants 145k
Orange consultants 120k
Beta consultants 90k
Omega consultants 50k
Block1 consultants 30k

5. How many complaints did you have the last 3 financial years? For
the last year break that down by department
6. How many deaths in care for adults each year for the last three
years?
7. How many children in care have died each year for the last three
years?
8. How many libraries have you had for the past three financial
years?
9. How many library users have you had each year for the past three
financial years?
10. What percentage of invoices were paid on time each of the last
financial years? What was the percentage for the most recent time
measured? I.e. if you measured it in first quarter of this financial
year what was the rate paid within 30 days or less? Expressed as a
total figure and as a percentage of the total.

In accordance with the Act we have decided to grant access to the
information requested in so far as we hold it.
1.2006 score was 4*, 2007 4*, 2008 3*
2.Please see attached information <<2010-08-12 - GMBC sick days.doc>>
3.We have 7 Departments/Directorates, the only change in the last 5 years
was that there were 8 but Children & Families and Learning and Children
merged into one directorate.

4.2007/8
Ernst & Young £159,035.08
WA Fairhurst Partners Ltd £77,363.40
QA Research £61,801.00
Pinsent Masons £50,507.85
Rockpools £48,150.00
Treatment solutions £42,397.00

2008/9
GVA Grimley £155,460.90
Quality & Equality £116,550.00
WA Fairhurst Partners Ltd £68,322.50
Rockpools £64,187.30
Jackson Coulson Partnership £50,953.58
FLP Consulting £45,291.35

2009/10

Ernst & Young £125,786.95
FLP Consulting £65,696.00
Carter ICT £66,017.94
Impact Leadership Support and Development £56,000
Northumbria Sight Service £50,000
Nathaniel Litchfield and Partners £49,136.50

5.2007/8 847
2008/9 836
2009/10 1058

These were recorded against the following for 2009/10:-

Gateshead Housing Company which is an arms length management organisation
549
Local Environmental Services 292
Community Based Services 139
Development & Enterprise 50
Learning and Children 6
Central Services 22

6.These are reported figures from care homes of the number of elderly
residents who have died whilst living in nursing or residential homes over
the past three years :

2007/08 = 361
2008/09 = 336
2009/10 = 276
7. None
8.For each of the last three years we have had 17 plus 1 mobile library
9.2007/8 55,461
2008/9 53,957
2009/10 58,223
10.2007/8 91.99%
2008/9 90%
2009/10 92.71%
2010/11 94.76% paid within 30 days

Yours faithfully

Information Rights Officer

[Gateshead Borough Council request email]

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