Cost of solicitor/barrister/legal costs in the case of Simon John Hoyle -v- Erewash Borough Council (Aug 2014)
Dear Sirs
I brought a case against you which was heard in Derby Magistrates Court in August 2014. I succeeded in that case.
You instructed a firm of solicitors from Leicester.
I require to know;
The total cost of fees paid to that firm in respect of that case, broken down into
a) Hourly rate for the solicitor representing you and total paid in hours claimed
b) Hourly rate for any other fee earner involved in the case
c) Total disbursements paid
d) Court/filing fees
e) Travelling costs and subsistence fees paid
f) Travelling time
g) Any other costs, itemised.
h) Compensation paid
I) Cost of witness and other council employee attendance including travelling and parking
I also wish to know whether any disciplinary action was taken against any council employee as the result of misconduct in the case
I further wish to know if changes were made to ensure that council officers were properly qualified in the role they hold in environmental health, and the nature of these changes, and the cost.
I wish to know the number of warrants applied for by the Erewash Borough Council since 2010 under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act.
[name removed]
Dear [name removed]
Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Request for Information
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We will now proceed with the new request which we received on 20 July 2015 and will respond within 20 working days.
The officer dealing with your request is [email address]
This request may be subject to certain exemptions as prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, in which case the Authority may have to refuse the request, or any part of the request, subject to determining whether any exemptions are applicable.
Once the information has been identified the Authority may also ask that a fee be paid for processing and delivering the information to you. Details of any fee to be charged will be notified to you as soon as possible.
Any consideration of exemptions or fees may result in a delay in the intended date for delivering the information.
Any future correspondence you may have in relation to this matter should be marked private & confidential and sent to the Information Officer at the above address.
Martin Durkin
Performance and Information Security Officer
Performance and Communities
Erewash Borough Council
Ilkeston Town Hall, Wharncliffe Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 5RP
Tel: 0115 907 22 44
Extension: 3579
Dear Sirs
I will not be communicating with you in correspondence marked "private and confidential".
The cost of searching this information will not exceed £450. The solicitors bill will be held in the file, and with the remittances department.
The head of personnel and the head on environmental health will be able to asnswer the remainder either verbally or in an email.
I remind you of your obligations under the act, which if you are not aware of, I suggest you familiarize yourself with.
Yours awaiting a legally defective and devoid of sense response
[Name Removed]
Dear [Name Removed]
Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Request for Information
I am writing in respect of your recent enquiry for information held by the
Authority under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Having consulted our Legal and Environmental departments on your specific
request they inform me:
a) Hourly rate for the solicitor representing you and total paid in hours
claimed - No charge from external solicitor
b) Hourly rate for any other fee earner involved in the case - £55.00
c) Total disbursements paid - £0.00
d) Court/filing fees - £0.00
e) Travelling costs and subsistence fees paid - For whom?
f) Travelling time - For whom?
g) Any other costs, itemised - Fee Earner Parking - £3.50
h) Compensation paid - £371.15
I) Cost of witness and other council employee attendance including
travelling and parking - £613.56
I also wish to know whether any disciplinary action was taken against any
council employee as the result of misconduct in the case.
No disciplinary action was taken against any officer arising from this
case.
I further wish to know if changes were made to ensure that council
officers were properly qualified in the role they hold in environmental
health, and the nature of these changes, and the cost.
Since August 2014 two officers have completed the Royal Society for Public
Health Level 2 Award in Pest Management. Another officer is currently
undertaking the course and a further officer will take the course in
December. The course is delivered by the British Pest Control Association.
The council now has officers with specific qualifications in pest control
to support existing practical knowledge and experience in this area. The
total cost of the training is £3900.
I wish to know the number of warrants applied for by the Erewash Borough
Council since 2010 under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act.
One
You may find further information of interest in our disclosure logs at:
http://www.erewash.gov.uk/your-council/f...
Most of the information that we provide in response to the Freedom of
Information Act 2000/Environmental Information Regulations 2004 requests
will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases the copyright will
be owned by Erewash Borough Council. The copyright in other information
may be owned by another person or organisation, as indicated by the
information itself.
You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for the
purpose of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for example,
by publishing the information or issuing copies to the public will require
the permission of the copyright holder.
For information where the copyright is owned by Erewash Borough Council
details of the conditions on re-use can be found on our website at:
http://www.erewash.gov.uk/your-council/d...
For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organisation, you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their
permission.
If for whatever reason you are unhappy with our response you are entitled
to pursue any dissatisfaction through the Council's Complaints Procedure
details of which are available via the Council’s website at:-
http://www.erewash.gov.uk/your-council/c....
Should you remain dissatisfied you can appeal against the decision by
contacting the Information Commissioner. Generally, the Information
Commissioners Office cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
complaints procedure provided by Erewash Borough Council. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. If you have any
further queries regarding this matter please refer them to the Information
Officer at the address below.
Yours sincerely
Martin Durkin
Performance and Information Security Officer
Performance and Communities
Erewash Borough Council
Ilkeston Town Hall, Wharncliffe Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 5RP
Tel: 0115 907 22 44
Extension: 3579
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