council functions

The request was partially successful.

Stuart Hardwicke CARRUTHERS

Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to know the average proportion of time the elected representatives of your authority spend as part of their duties for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 on their main activities. The activities that form their duties (employment) as an elected representative are:

1 directly resolving complaints against the executive (Council Staff) of the Council by residents;
2 sitting on committee's;
3 acting for the political parties that they represent and/or ceremonial duties (i.e. all time not spent on sitting on a Committee or resolving a complaint against the executive);

The total time spent by an elected representative for a Council on these three activities should be 100 per cent of the time they spend 'working for a Council' as an elected representative.

I would additionally like to know how much in total was paid to local councillors to meet all their duties (including expenses) for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 by your authority, and how many elected representatives are (and were) represented on your authority for these years.

I would also like to know how many Complaints in total were submitted to your Council in 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 for each year. I would further like to know how many of these complaints were formally considered by an elected representative for each of these years.

I would further like to know how many complaints against the Executive (Council staff) led to the elected representatives formally identifying that the Executive had acted wrongly for the years 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, and how many of these formal determinations by the elected representatives identify that there was no wrong-doing by the Executive. How many staff employed by your authority in 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 ceased to be employed by your authority as a direct result of a complaint against the Executive, and the Councillors identifying this to be the case.

I would further like to know how much money the Council has paid to a complainant (i.e. victim of a Council's wrongdoing) through its own complaints system (i.e. excluding any intervention by the Local Government Ombudsman, Valuation Tribunal or similar body) in 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008.

I would like to know how much money either in the form of local settlement or additional formal finding of maladministration causing injustice the Local Government Ombudsman has recommended that your Council pay in 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 (for each year) and if the Local Government Ombudsman's recommendations have been met in full (including any non-financial recommendations for each year)). Please detail any recommendation that has not been met in full and provide a copy of the Elected representatives decision. Please additionally identify if these costs were met directly by Council Tax Payers or the Council's insurers (excluding self insurance by a Council)

Finally, please provide details of the financial cost of administering all your complaints systems (including FoI and DP) by the Executive for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 and the number of staff employed in administering complaints and resolving these (Full time equivalent staffing levels). Please also provide details of your total administrative costs for 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 and the total number of staff employed by your authority, as well as any pay increase (including increments) made to the Council's Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) in pounds sterling for each of these years. Please additionally identify if the Chief Executives wages included performance related payments.

If you do not have this reasonably basic management information related to complaints and/or identify that the costs of accessing the information requested will be more than £450 please state this and identify that your Authority does not have either a functioning or accountable complaints system, and does not maintain any basic management information related to this issue.

If you have a complaints system not fit for purpose please identify which political party currently controls your Council, and if this political party has appointed the current Electoral Registration and Returning Officer through its control of the Council (with date of their formal appointment). Please name the current Electoral Registration and Returning Officer, and identify if they are also Head of Paid Service, and Clerk to your Authority. Please additionally provide any documentation maintained by your Local Authorities Head of Paid Service identifying that they personally do not believe it to be appropriate for your Council to have a complaints system that is fit for purpose. This documentation should be in existence due to the provisions of s4 of the Local Government Act 1989.

Yours faithfully

Stuart HARDWICKE CARRUTHERS

contact us Inet Email, Elmbridge Borough Council

Thank you for your enquiry, which has been passed to the relevant officer for action. In accordance with our Customer Care policy you should receive a reply from us within 10 working days. Alternatively you could visit our FAQ web page at http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/faq/ or contact us on 01372 474474

Elmbridge Borough Council, Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9SD
Direct Line: 01372 474474
email: [email address]
www.elmbridge.gov.uk

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Ann Johnson, Elmbridge Borough Council

9 Attachments

Dear Mr Carruthers

Further to your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act dated 23rd August. The Council is refusing your request
under S12 of the Act as your request would require well in excess of 18
hours of officer time to fulfill.

However, as a gesture of goodwill, I am supplying you with information
which is readily available.

Below is an e-mail from our Committee and Member Services Manager which
answers the questions which fall within her area of responsibility.

Our current Electoral Registration and Returning Officer is Rob Moran.

The total members allowances paid were £296,695 in 05/06, £332,493 in
06/07 & £335,533 in 07/08.

The Annual Statement of Accounts give values for employees of £10.639m
in 05/06, £11.180m in 06/07 & £11.593m in 07/08

The total number of staff as per the National Office of Statistics
Quarterly Employment Survey form L42 gives the fte at 31 March as 417 in
05/06, 428 in 06/07 & 398 in 07/08

The Chief Executive pay increases were £8628 in 05/06, £8883 in 06/07 &
£4839 in 07/08. He received an increment as well as a pay award in 05/06
& 06/07 but in 07/08 he was at the top of the grade & therefore only
received a pay award. There were no performance related payments.

E-Mail From Committee & Member Services Manager

I write further to the circulation of a FOI request from Mr. Stuart
Hardwicke Carruthers. The following information covers those aspects of
the enquiry that fall within my responsibility.

We do not hold information relating to the proportions of time spent by
elected Members on particular aspects of their role. However, to try
and assist with the enquiry, I enclose the reports of the Independent
Remuneration Panel which may assist in providing an overview of the
types of activities that elected Members undertake and I attach these
for circulation to Mr. Carruthers for the periods requested, i.e.
2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08. For each of the years, I have enclosed a
copy of the relevant IRP report, the Cabinet's Minute in respect of the
recommendation and the relevant Council Minute extract (9 attachments in
total).

I can confirm that for the Municipal Years 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08
there were 60 elected Members of the Council and that the Council is
currently governed by a Conservative Administration.

Ann Johnson
Facilities Officer
Elmbridge Borough Council
Civic Centre
High Street
Esher
Surrey KT10 9SD

Tel : 01372 474221
Fax : 01372 474935
e-mail : [email address]

This email, and any attachments, is strictly confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended only for use by the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or other use of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender and delete it from your system. The opinions expressed in this email are not necessarily those of Elmbridge Borough Council..

This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email