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the professional capacity of the LGO

George Cant made this Freedom of Information request to Local Government Ombudsmen

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Local Government Ombudsmen should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

From: George Cant

9 September 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Looking for the professional capacity of the LGO as a suitable body
for administering justice.

Can I have the answers to these questions for as long back as you
hold the data

What is the professional capacity of each office in relation to
each office for ;

1.Legal qualifications
2.Accountancy qualifications
3.Other suitable Professional experience.

What would be the minimum level of experience expected of
applicants for the following posts.

1.Initial investigators
2.Investigation support staff
3.Deputy ombudsman
4.Ombudsman

Can I have a list of the in-line job positions for each office, and
the number of staff employed in that position, from the initial
phone contact to finalisation of an disputed complaint.

( example )

Global crossing employees
LGO phone staff
investigators PA
Investigators
Deputy ombudsman PA
Deputy ombudsman
Ombudsman PA
Ombudsman

Feel free to contact me if you need me to re-word these questions
to get appropriate responses.

Sincerely yours

George, cant

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

16 September 2009

Dear Mr Cant

Our ref: CS/09/094

This is to acknowledge receipt of your request below.

I have given it the reference number above, and it would be helpful if you
could quote this on any further correspondence about this matter.

We will respond within the 20 working day target (which would be by 7
October 2009) or, if unable to do so, we will write to you again
explaining why.

Yours sincerely

Rob Rundle

Publicity & Information Assistant

Local Government Ombudsman' office

Tel: 020 7217 4686
Website: [1]www.lgo.org.uk

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From: George Cant

8 October 2009

Dear Foi Officer,

You are late with this responce, please review and reply

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

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From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

9 October 2009

Dear Mr Cant

It is taking me longer than expected to get the information together to answer your request. I have almost finished but won't be able to complete it until next week. I apologise for the delay.

Yours sincerely

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

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From: George Cant

10 October 2009

Dear Foi Officer,

Thanks, take what time you need, just please answer as accurately
as possible,

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

12 October 2009


Attachment CS 09 094 Cant.doc
49K Download View as HTML

Attachment CS 09 094 Dep Omb PS.doc
46K Download View as HTML

Attachment CS 09 094 Investigator PS.doc
42K Download View as HTML

Attachment CS 09 094 PA Team Ldr PS.doc
40K Download View as HTML

Attachment CS 09 094 Team Adr PS.doc
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Dear Mr Cant

Our ref: CS/09/094

I attach a letter, and other documents, in response to this request.
Apologies for the delay.

Yours sincerely

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

Dear Foi Officer,

Thanks, take what time you need, just please answer as accurately
as possible,

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

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Link to this

From: George Cant

13 October 2009

Dear Foi Officer,

You have not answered the main questions,

Dear Sir or Madam,

-----------------------------------

What is the professional capacity of each office in relation to
each office for ;

1.Legal qualifications
2.Accountancy qualifications
3.Other suitable Professional experience.

-------------------------------------------
you say
------------------------------------------

Enclosed is a list of Job application requirements, nothing
indicating the current capacity of experience/knowledge.

-------------------------------------------------------
Please complete the following detailing there qualifications /
appropriate experience previously and currently held

The Coventry office has:

Deputy Ombudsman: 1

Assistant Ombudsman: 3 full-time, 2 part-time

Senior Investigator: 3 full-time

Investigator: 21 full-time, 4 part-time

PA to LGO/Deputy Ombudsman: 1 full-time

PA/Team Leader: 2 full-time

Team Administrator: 2 full-time, 4 part-time

The York office has: I have been a victim, customer of this office.

Deputy Ombudsman: 1

Assistant Ombudsman: 3 full-time

Senior Investigator: 3 full-time

Investigator: 23 full-time, 3 part-time

PA to LGO/Deputy Ombudsman: 1 full-time

PA/Team Leader: 1 full-time, 1 part-time

Team Administrator: 1 full-time, 6 part-time

The London office has:

Deputy Ombudsman: 1

Assistant Ombudsman: 4 full-time

Senior Investigator: 3 full-time

Investigator: 22 full-time, 6 part-time

PA to LGO/Deputy Ombudsman: 1 full-time

PA/Team Leader: 2 full-time

Team Administrator: 3 full-time, 2 part-time

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are also a number of jobs relating to Corporate Services, but
as these employees do not deal directly with complaints, I assume
your request does not include them.

------------------------------------------------------

Yes please I asked for all positions for a reason.

-------------------------------------------------

You state

-------------------------------------------------

The Commission uses a contractor (who is a qualified solicitor) to
supply legal advice, but also employs one or more Legal Assistants
- based at our London office - who are required to have a Law
degree or graduate (2.2 and above) and an LPC (pass or above); with
a good understanding and working knowledge of at least one area of
local government law (for example housing, social services,
planning, education, etc).

-------------------------------------------------

Ok, please can you explain what involvement they have on a case to
case basis were legal arguments are presented.

What I am asking is what is the line of responsibility for ensuring
legally correct action is applied to. ( how shoulders overall legal
responsibility for ensuring correct actions )

1.Cases for the public ( Complaints )
2.Your corporate operational responsibility.

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

14 October 2009


Attachment CS 09 094 Cant 2.doc
48K Download View as HTML


Dear Mr Cant

Our ref: CS/09/094

I attach a letter in response to the message below and our telephone conversation yesterday.

Yours sincerely

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

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From: George Cant

14 October 2009

Dear Foi Officer,

Please review.

I disagree total that you answering these questions would affect
the data protection regulations.

from, prior communication with the FOI office, i believe the vale
of glemorgan dission is in affect here. I will contact them to
confirm this today and i request you verify your dessission not to
answer this part of the question.

I have not asked you to individulay tell me about any ones
qualifications, i have asked for them held by office.

Please explain clearly why you think this is a data protection
issue.

please take this as a request for review of your dissision.

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

Link to this

From: George Cant

22 October 2009

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 'the professional capacity
of the LGO'.

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

Yours faithfully,

George Cant

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

22 October 2009

Dear Mr Cant

You have already asked(on 14 October), and I have already passed your request on.

Yours sincerely

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

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George Cant left an annotation (22 October 2009)

I understand, but you only confirmed that by phone.

I have put in on here for providence, so we can keep it all together.

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

1 December 2009

Mr Cant

You will hear from us soon on this review. I am sorry for the delay.
This is the only review you have asked for regarding your FOI requests - your telephone message said you had three outstanding reviews, but that is not the case.

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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George Cant left an annotation ( 1 December 2009)

Ok,,

sorry, it was not you i asked to confirm the info on the others.

I did ask you, as a communications offer, to ask the york office to comply with my SAR - you refused and put the phone down on me again.

please deal with this through your internal system.

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

8 January 2010

Dear Mr Cant

The review of our handling of this request is almost complete and you should receive a reply within a few days. I apologise for the delay.

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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From: George Cant

8 January 2010

Dear Foi Officer,

The answer need to be relative to the date i requested them, i am
stating this because you have had some re-organisation since.

Please provedthisrelative to the date it was ased, then provide me
any changes made since that date

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

18 January 2010

Dear Mr Cant

You telephoned last week asking when you would get a response to this request for a review. I apologise for the delay. The review is almost complete and I hope that you will be sent a response this week.

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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From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

12 February 2010


Attachment CS 09 094 Cant review.doc
42K Download View as HTML


Dear Mr Cant

Our ref: CS/09/094

I attach a reply from Mr Karney in response to your request for a review of my decision on this request.

Sorry again for the delay.

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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Trevor R Nunn left an annotation (12 February 2010)

Mr Karney states in his reply: There is no particular professional qualification requirement for staff in the investigation teams.

That explains a lot!

Link to this

George Cant left an annotation (13 February 2010)

You noticed how they relied on DPA to not answer this, i asked for the qualification for each office to compare them in relation to there outcomes, to avoid DPA issues

"What is the professional capacity of each office in relation to each office for ;1.Legal qualifications, 2.Accountancy qualifications 3.Other suitable Professional experience."

Link to this

Anne Hide left an annotation (13 February 2010)

What we have is Local Government Ombudsmen who can delegate their function to unqualified members of staff.

Would you trust any other professional who did the same? Would you be happy going in for an operation knowing the Doctor's receptionist was going to carry out your operation.

Link to this

Charlotte Peters Rock left an annotation ( 2 April 2010)

What we seem have is ex-Local Authority staff making decisions which reflect their uncertainty about whether they might again need to go back to a Local Authority for employment.

It is my experience that they feel no need to find out information from any complainant; only to converse with the Complaints Managers of Local Authorities - finding out what they would like.

thefreedictionary.com gives this as the meaning of the word 'Ombudsman':

"om·buds·man (mbdzmn, -bdz-, -bdz-)
n.
1. A man who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements, especially between aggrieved parties such as consumers or students and an institution or organization.
2. A government official, especially in Scandinavian countries, who investigates citizens' complaints against the government or its functionaries."

I commend that meaning to the Ombudsman at York, who seems not to have come across such a definition previously.

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Sheila Oliver (Account suspended) left an annotation ( 2 April 2010)

Dear Mrs Peters Rock

We went to the Ombudsman about a school to be built on toxic waste which Stockport Council decided to leave in situ. The Ombudsman took so many years to investigate the complaint and then found 100% in the Council's favour that had we had to rely on Anne Seex, the school would have been built years ago and the children would be now incubating cancer.

The Local Ombudsman Service, in my humble opinion, is a jobs for the boys (girls) complete waste of taxpayers' money.

Kind regards

Sheila Oliver

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George Cant left an annotation ( 3 April 2010)

Hi sheila

you may be interested in reading these about the ombudsman

http://www.amv3.com/forum/viewforum.php?...

http://psow.co.uk/

http://ombudsmanwatchers.org.uk/

http://lgowatcher.blogspot.com/ < focus on york office.

join the forum

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From: George Cant

8 April 2010

Dear Foi Officer,

As i am including this in a appeal, i request you just clarify a
point for me

1.Legal qualifications

If we was going to challange the application of the law in respect
of the public, on an office per office basis,

The regulator would be the Law society or just parliament, so i
need to know who's to focus on for each office.

Or, is the the group of solicitors at your London office that are
taking responcability.

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

Link to this

From: Foi Officer
Local Government Ombudsmen

8 April 2010

Dear Mr Cant

You have already asked for and had a response to your request for a review of the handling of this request.

I don't really understand your question below, but we only have one legal adviser, and she is based at the London office. However, she is not responsible for the 'application of the law' for the Ombudsmen, she only advises them. The Ombudsmen have the legal authority in making decisions on complaints. Their decisions can be challenged in court by judicial review.

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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From: George Cant

8 April 2010

Dear Foi Officer,

Understood, am not looking at challanging any f there dissision, am
going to challange the basic aplication of law per office.

Its how the laws are applied and ignored on general by the
Ombudsman, not the individual dissisions.

am suggesting the operation of one office has not been in line with
the laws applicable, so when i am asking whos taking legal
responability, its for the operation of the office, not individual
complaints.

Yours sincerely,

George Cant

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