Dear Mr Lewis

Your request for information ref. SOT47362

Thank you for your request for information about harrassment and bullying
cases made by city council employees.  Your request was received by the
Information Rights Team on 19 November 2015.  This is being dealt with
under the terms of the appropriate Information Rights legislation.

In some circumstances we may charge for information.  If there is a charge
we will let you know, as you will have to pay it before we deal with your
request.

Some information does not have to be released under this legislation.  We
will check the information you have asked for and send you as much as
possible.  If another person or organisation is named in the information,
we may have to ask their opinion before we decide what we can give you.

You should expect to receive a response to your request on or before 17
December 2015 in line with the legislation's 20 working day statutory
deadline.

For your information we may publish the response to your request on our
City Council's website, which can be found at the following address:
[1]www.stoke.gov.uk.

If you have any queries about this email please do not hesitate to contact
us.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Team

Information Rights

Floor 2 Civic Centre Glebe Street

Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

City of Stoke-on-Trent 

t 01782 232853, 01782 233020, 01782 233732, 01782 235965

e [2][Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

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References

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1. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

Dear Mr Lewis

Your request for information ref. SOT47362 about harassment and bullying
cases made by city council employees

We have now considered your request and a copy of the information is
attached below.  Please accept our apologies for the delay in sending
this to you.

Please accept our apologies for the delay in sending this to you.  This is
due to an administrative error on our part which led us to believe that
this request had been responded to.  It is an isolated error and we are
sorry if it has caused any inconvenience.

You may of course make a complaint to the Information Commissioner about
the delay in responding, but we are only able to carry out an internal
review if you are dissatisfied with the information we have provided.

The information supplied may be used for domestic or journalistic
purposes.  Its use for commercial gain including issuing to the public,
social media or computer blogs may be subject to the issue of a licence
under the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

1) How many employees of your authority have made an official complaint of
harassment and bullying at work since the 1st April 2009?

Response: 74

2) How many of these complaints were upheld in favour of the complainant?

Response: 6

3) How many of those which were not upheld in favour of the complainant
went on to Appeal?

Response: 5

4) How many of those that went to Appeal were found to favour the
complainant?

Response: 1

5) How many complaints went on to an Employment Tribunal?

Response: 1

6) How many of these were found to uphold the complaint?

Response: 0

7) Out of how many of those allegations (the number given to question 1)
did the complainant of bullying claim that the bullies were telling lies?

Response: 13

8) How many staff does your authority have and what is the current
population within your authority's area?

Response: Current staffing total - 7050.21 fte including schools; 4464.33
fte excluding schools / current population of Stoke-on-Trent 251,027

Please note - in relation to school staff, we can confirm that each of our
schools is their own data controller and will hold the information
relating to their own staff.

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,
you should write to: Information Rights Manager, Customer Feedback and
Information Rights Team, Corporate Services, Stoke-on-Trent City Council,
Floor 2, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, ST4 1HH, or email
[1][Stoke on Trent City Council request email].

If, after contacting us, you are not content with the outcome, you may ask
the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Before doing this, please
see the following link for guidance from the Information Commissioner
relating to how to use your information rights responsibly and
effectively, to enable you to gain the best outcome from the process -
[2]http://ico.org.uk/for_the_public.

Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you
have already used our internal review procedure. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, tel: 0303 123
1113 or you can visit their website at [3]www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Team

Information Rights

City of Stoke-on-Trent

Floor 2  Civic Centre  Glebe Street  Stoke-on-Trent  ST4 1HH

T: 01782 232853, 01782 233020, 01782 233732, 01782 235965

E: [4][Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

Dear Stoke on Trent City Council,

     This request is being made to make the public at large and people

     in each authority aware of which councils are the worst offenders

     or the better examples when it comes to bullying in the workplace.

     All councils have very similar anti-bullying / dignity at work

     policies, but there seems to be a difference in the level of

     bullying. This is intended to statistically show those differences.

     1) How many employees of your authority have

     made an

     official complaint of harassment and bullying at work since the

     1st April 2009?

     2) How many of these complaints were upheld in favour of the

     complainant?

     3) How many of those which were not upheld in favour of the

     complainant went on to Appeal?

     4) How many of those that went to Appeal were found to favour the

     complainant?

     5) How many complaints went on to an Employment Tribunal?

     6) How many of these were found to uphold the complaint?

     7) Out of how many of those allegations (the number given to

     question 1) did the complainant of

     bullying claim that the bullies were telling lies?

     8) How many staff does your authority have and what is the current

     population within your authority's area?

     Yours faithfully

     Mr Lewis

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7pm start. Visit stoke.gov.uk/OnYourMarks

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
2. http://ico.org.uk/for_the_public
3. http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx
4. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
5. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Dear Mr Lewis

Your request for information ref. SOT48988

Thank you for your request for further information about harrassment and
bullying cases made by employees of the city council.  Your request was
received by the Information Rights Team on 05 February 2016.  This is
being dealt with under the terms of the appropriate Information Rights
legislation.

In some circumstances we may charge for information.  If there is a charge
we will let you know, as you will have to pay it before we deal with your
request.

Some information does not have to be released under this legislation.  We
will check the information you have asked for and send you as much as
possible.  If another person or organisation is named in the information,
we may have to ask their opinion before we decide what we can give you.

You should expect to receive a response to your request on or before 04
March 2016 in line with the legislation's 20 working day statutory
deadline.

For your information we may publish the response to your request on our
City Council's website, which can be found at the following address:
[1]www.stoke.gov.uk.

If you have any queries about this email please do not hesitate to contact
us.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Team

Information Rights

Floor 2 Civic Centre Glebe Street

Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

City of Stoke-on-Trent 

t 01782 232853, 01782 233020, 01782 233732, 01782 235965

e [2][Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

Claiming Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support? It’s time to tell us if
your circumstances have changed. Make sure you get paid the right amount;
tell us when things change at [3]www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Have you had your flu jab yet? Make an appointment now to protect not only
yourself but also the vulnerable people you love. Find out if you’re
eligible to have this free at: www.stoke.gov.uk/flu

Book free tickets for the spectacular opening ceremony to Stoke-on-Trent's
year as the UK's European City of Sport. 30 January, Northwood Stadium,
7pm start. Visit stoke.gov.uk/OnYourMarks

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

References

Visible links
1. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
3. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Dear Mr Lewis

Your request for information ref. SOT48988 about harassment and bullying
allegations made by council staff

We have now considered your request and a copy of the information is
attached below.

The information supplied may be used for domestic or journalistic
purposes.  Its use for commercial gain including issuing to the public,
social media or computer blogs may be subject to the issue of a licence
under the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

Were the 13 cases where lies were alleged among the 6 successes in
question 2 and if so, how many?

Response:

3 of the 13 cases were among the 6 successes.

Were the 13 cases where lies were alleged all relating to the same unit or
department? Please provide a breakdown (if not naming individual
departments, give for example "department 1 - ??? accusations of lies...")

Response:

The breakdown is as follows:

Adult Social Care – 1

Childrens Services – 4

Resources Directorate – 2

Public Health – 1

Place Directorate – 5

It should be noted that of the 74 cases advised at the time of your
original request, this will have included those which were being
investigated at the time of the response.  Therefore the answers to your
original questions could not have been answered fully for those cases
being investigated.

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,
you should write to: Information Rights Manager, Customer Feedback and
Information Rights Team, Corporate Services, Stoke-on-Trent City Council,
Floor 2, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, ST4 1HH, or email
[1][Stoke on Trent City Council request email].

If, after contacting us, you are not content with the outcome, you may ask
the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Before doing this, please
see the following link for guidance from the Information Commissioner
relating to how to use your information rights responsibly and
effectively, to enable you to gain the best outcome from the process -
[2]http://ico.org.uk/for_the_public.

Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you
have already used our internal review procedure. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, tel: 0303 123
1113 or you can visit their website at [3]www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Team

Information Rights

City of Stoke-on-Trent

Floor 2  Civic Centre  Glebe Street  Stoke-on-Trent  ST4 1HH

T: 01782 232853, 01782 233020, 01782 233732, 01782 235965

E: [4][Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

Claiming Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support? It’s time to tell us if
your circumstances have changed. Make sure you get paid the right amount;
tell us when things change at [5]www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Have you had your flu jab yet? Make an appointment now to protect not only
yourself but also the vulnerable people you love. Find out if you’re
eligible to have this free at: www.stoke.gov.uk/flu

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
2. http://ico.org.uk/for_the_public
3. http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx
4. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
5. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Dear Mr Lewis

Your request for information ref. SOT50746

Thank you for your request for information about numbers of harrassment
and bullying cases where the complainant had said they had been called "a
loner".  Your request was received by the Information Rights Team on 15
April 2016.  This is being dealt with under the terms of the appropriate
Information Rights legislation.

In some circumstances we may charge for information.  If there is a charge
we will let you know, as you will have to pay it before we deal with your
request.

Some information does not have to be released under this legislation.  We
will check the information you have asked for and send you as much as
possible.  If another person or organisation is named in the information,
we may have to ask their opinion before we decide what we can give you.

You should expect to receive a response to your request on or before 16
May 2016 in line with the legislation's 20 working day statutory deadline.

For your information we may publish the response to your request on our
City Council's website, which can be found at the following address:
[1]www.stoke.gov.uk.

If you have any queries about this email please do not hesitate to contact
us.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Team

Information Rights

Floor 2 Civic Centre Glebe Street

Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

City of Stoke-on-Trent 

t 01782 232853, 01782 233020, 01782 233732, 01782 235965

e [2][Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

Claiming Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support? It’s time to tell us if
your circumstances have changed. Make sure you get paid the right amount;
tell us when things change at [3]www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Have you had your flu jab yet? Make an appointment now to protect not only
yourself but also the vulnerable people you love. Find out if you’re
eligible to have this free at: www.stoke.gov.uk/flu

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

References

Visible links
1. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
3. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Dear Mr Lewis

Further to your most recent information request (SOT50746), we would be
grateful if you will clarify if you are interested in the 74 cases
referred to in the response to your question 1 of your request SOT47362,
or to the 3 cases referred to the response to your question 1 of your
previous request SOT48988.

We look forward to hearing from you and will continue to process your
request once we have received your clarification.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Team

Information Rights | Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Policy and Performance Service

City Director’s Office

Floor 2 Civic Centre Glebe Street

Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

t 01782 232853, 233020, 233732, 235965

e [1][Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

From: FOI
Sent: 15 April 2016 12:26
To: '[FOI #303663 email]'
Subject: Your request for information ref. SOT50746

Dear Mr Lewis

Your request for information ref. SOT50746

Thank you for your request for information about numbers of harrassment
and bullying cases where the complainant had said they had been called "a
loner".  Your request was received by the Information Rights Team on 15
April 2016.  This is being dealt with under the terms of the appropriate
Information Rights legislation.

In some circumstances we may charge for information.  If there is a charge
we will let you know, as you will have to pay it before we deal with your
request.

Some information does not have to be released under this legislation.  We
will check the information you have asked for and send you as much as
possible.  If another person or organisation is named in the information,
we may have to ask their opinion before we decide what we can give you.

You should expect to receive a response to your request on or before 16
May 2016 in line with the legislation's 20 working day statutory deadline.

For your information we may publish the response to your request on our
City Council's website, which can be found at the following address:
[2]www.stoke.gov.uk.

If you have any queries about this email please do not hesitate to contact
us.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Team

Information Rights

Floor 2 Civic Centre Glebe Street

Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

City of Stoke-on-Trent 

t 01782 232853, 01782 233020, 01782 233732, 01782 235965

e [3][Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

Claiming Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support? It’s time to tell us if
your circumstances have changed. Make sure you get paid the right amount;
tell us when things change at [4]www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Have you had your flu jab yet? Make an appointment now to protect not only
yourself but also the vulnerable people you love. Find out if you’re
eligible to have this free at: www.stoke.gov.uk/flu

dangos adrannau a ddyfynnir

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
2. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/
3. mailto:[Stoke on Trent City Council request email]
4. http://www.stoke.gov.uk/timetotellus

Dear Mr Lewis

Your request for information SOT50746

Although we do hold the information that you have requested, we estimate
that the aggregated cost of complying with your request (and the requests
of others acting together) would be more than £450.  This amount is called
the ‘appropriate limit’ and is specified in regulations.

When it would cost more than £450 to locate, retrieve and extract the
information that is requested, Section 12 of the Freedom of Information
Act allows us to refuse the request.

To review all 74 files referred to in your original request would take in
exceed the appropriate limit.  Each file will have to be reviewed to
establish whether the individuals described themselves or were described
as a 'loner'.  At an average of 20 minutes per case it would take over 24
hours.

If you make a new request for a smaller amount of information it may then
be within the appropriate limit, although we cannot guarantee that it
would be and we would have to assess your new request.

If you have any queries about this email, please do not hesitate to
contact us.

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,
you should write to: Information Rights Manager, Customer Feedback and
Information Rights Team, Corporate Services, Stoke-on-Trent City Council,
Floor 2, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1HH or email
[Stoke on Trent City Council request email].

If, after contacting us, you are not content with the outcome, you may ask
the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the Information
Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have already used our
appeal procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF, tel: 0303 123 1113 or you can visit their website at
[1]www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights

Information Rights Team

City of Stoke on Trent

Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1HH

T: 01782 232853, 01782 233020, 01782 233732, 01782 235965

e: [Stoke on Trent City Council request email]

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx