Tony Redmond annual leave
Dear Local Government Ombudsmen,
How much annual leave is Tony Redmond entitled to?
On which five days (please give dates) of the twenty three touring Australia with his wife in 2005 did he take annual leave?
What other dates in 05/06 were annual leave?
Did he take any annual leave when he and his wife were in Canada in 2004?
Did he take any time off in lieu in 04/05 and 05/06?
Yours faithfully,
mr j garlits
Dear Mr Garlits
Our ref: CS/10/086
This is to acknowledge receipt of your I request below received on 28 July. I will respond within the 20 working day target (which would be by 25 August 2010) or, if unable to do so, I will write to you again explaining why.
Yours sincerely
Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's office | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
Dear Mr Garlits
I attach a letter in response to your request below.
Yours sincerely
Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's office | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
Dear Ms Pook,
In my email of 28 July I asked on which dates Mr Redmond took five days annual leave while he was on his study tour of Australia in 2005, on what other dates Mr Redmond took annual leave in 2005/06, and whether Mr Redmond took annual leave while he was in Canada in 2004. I also asked if Mr Redmond took any time off in lieu in 2004/05 and 2005/06.
You replied "I cannot provide this information because it is not held by the Commission. Mr Redmond's terms and conditions of employment are set by the Department for Communities and Local Government, not by the Commission. So the Commission does not keep records of when he takes his leave."
In which case -
1/ Why did you state in an FOI response previously, five years after the event, that he took five days leave in Australia, and not four, six or none for example, when you couldn't know this?
2/ At the time, how did the Commission know that he was due any leave when considering his request for re-imbursement of his "study" tour that included a "personal element" i.e. holiday?
3/ When he was re-imbursed was this done with no regard for whether he had taken any leave or not, and whether he was due any or not? Yours sincerely,
mr j garlits
Gadawodd Trevor R Nunn anodiad ()
"I cannot provide this information because it is not held by the Commission. Mr Redmond's terms and conditions of employment are set by the Department for Communities and Local Government, not by the Commission. So the Commission does not keep records of when he takes his leave."
What a stupid response.
His terms and conditions are indeed set by the Department for Communities and Local Government, not by the Commission, as they are for all LGOs.
However, how did the commission staff cover for him if they didn't know, or record the fact, he was on annual leave? Or was it a case of no one in the commission, including the Deputy Ombudsman and Deputy Chief Executive and all the other staff at the London office knowing he was on annual leave until they got a postcard from him?
Dear Mr Garlits
I attach a letter in response to your enquiries below.
Yours sincerely
Hilary Pook
Communications & Records Manager | DL: 020 7217 4734 |
Local Government Ombudsman's office | 10th Floor |
Millbank Tower | Millbank | London | SW1P 4QP |
www.lgo.org.uk |
Gadawodd Trevor R Nunn anodiad ()
If they reimbursed his expenses whilst on duty in Australia they must also know the days they paid his expenses for.The days on which he didn't claim expenses for (logically) were taken as annual leave.
Why not reverse your request and ask for the specific dates he was reimbursed expenses for, what's left must be annual leave.
Gadawodd r smith anodiad ()
For readers' ease the following are J Garlits' questions and Ms Pook's answers 1/ Why did you state in an FOI response previously, five years after the event, that he took five days leave in Australia, and not four, six or none for example, when you couldn't know this?
A. Because Mr Redmond told me how many days leave he took.
2/ At the time, how did the Commission know that he was due any
leave when considering his request for re-imbursement of his
"study" tour that included a "personal element" i.e. holiday?
A. Because Mr Redmond told them he was due leave.
3/ When he was re-imbursed was this done with no regard for whether
he had taken any leave or not, and whether he was due any or not?
A. Mr Redmond was reimbursed for expenses he incurred while he was on duty..
Number three isn't an answer to the question, and in this matter of the "tour" there seems to be a lot of reliance on the truthfulness of what Redmond tells people.
Gadawodd Anne Hide anodiad ()
It looks like Mr Redmond has all the power/authority without any real accountability.
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now
Gadawodd Anne Hide anodiad ()
"I cannot provide this information because it is not held by the Commission."
Neither were the minutes of the meeting that agreed to his trip to Australia. So why did they create a document in order to answer that FOI request but not this one?
I find it amusing that he can't remember his holidays but can remember the commission agreeing to pay for them.
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/do...