Designated persons as introduced under the Localism Act 2011

The request was successful.

Dear Brighton and Hove City Council,

I would be grateful if you could provide information held on the Council's implementation of the Localism Act 2011 in relation to a "Designated Person" with regard to resolving a complaint after a landlord’s internal complaints procedure is finished.

With thanks

Yours truly,

Steve Parry

Freedom Of Information, Brighton and Hove City Council

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Freedom of Information request
Our reference: 1936933
Your reference: [FOI #511468 email]

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Dear Mr Parry
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 20 August
2018. 
 
We are dealing with your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 and we aim to send a response to you by 18 September 2018.
 
Your Freedom of Information Request has been logged as;
 
Complaint following Landlord's Internal Complaints Procedure

Please provide information held on the Council's implementation of the
Localism Act 2011 in relation to a "Designated Person" with regard to
resolving a complaint after a landlord's internal complaints procedure is
finished.
 
If you have any questions about how Freedom of Information Requests are
handled at the Council, we recommend that you visit our website containing
information which may be of assistance.  Following that, please feel free
to contact a member of staff if you have any outstanding questions. 
Please follow this link;
 
[1]Freedom of Information
 
IMPORTANT: Please do not edit the existing subject line text when replying
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Yours sincerely
 
 
Information Compliance Officer
Information Governance Team
01273 295959
 
 
 
 
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References

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1 Attachment

 
 
 
 
 
Freedom of Information request
Our reference: 1936933
Your reference: [FOI #511468 email]

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Dear Mr Parry
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 20 August 2018.
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
Important: Should you wish to contact us again regarding this request,
please do not edit the existing subject line text when replying to this
email. If you change this it will take us longer to identify the request
that you are corresponding about and will delay us in responding to you. 
 
Yours sincerely
 
Information Compliance Officer
Information Governance Team
01273 295959
  

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Dear Brighton and Hove City Council,

I am in receipt of your email of 4 September.

Unfortunately it does not provide any information that I requested and only refers to matters that I had to be aware of in order to make the request.

I can only emphasise that I requested information on the Council's implementation of the Localism Act 2011 in relation to a "Designated Person".

Yours truly,

Steve Parry

Dear Mr Parry,
 
Thank you for your email.
 
As you are not satisfied with the response provided we will now raise an
internal review request on your behalf.
 
Kind regards,
 
Information Compliance Officer 

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Dear Brighton and Hove City Council,

I am in receipt of your email of 4 September.

Unfortunately it does not provide any information that I requested and
only refers to matters that I had to be aware of in order to make the
request.

I can only emphasise that I requested information on the Council's
implementation of the Localism Act 2011 in relation to a "Designated
Person".

Yours truly,

Steve Parry

-----Original Message-----

 
 
 
 
 
Freedom of Information request
Our reference: 1936933
Your reference: [FOI #511468 email]

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Notice to recipient: The information contained in this electronic mail
message is intended only for the use of the individual to whom it is
addressed and may contain information which is privileged and
confidential, the disclosure of which is prohibited by law.   If the
reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please note that any
dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly
prohibited. If you have received this communication in error please notify
the sender immediately.   Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.
  You can visit our website at http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk   Please
consider the environment, only print out this email if absolutely
necessary.   Please Note:  Both incoming and outgoing Emails may be
monitored and/or recorded in line with current legislation

hide quoted sections

 
 
 
 
 
Freedom of Information request
Our reference: 1936933
Your reference: [FOI #511468 email]

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

Dear Mr Parry
 
Thank you for your request for a review received on 5 September 2018. I am
sorry that you are dissatisfied with our attempts to handle your request
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
I can confirm that we are considering your concerns and we will aim to
provide you with a response by 3 October 2018.
 
IMPORTANT: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this
email. If you change this it will take us longer to identify the request
that you are corresponding about and will delay us in responding to you.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Information Compliance Officer
Information Governance Team
01273 295959
 
 
 
Notice to recipient: The information contained in this electronic mail
message is intended only for the use of the individual to whom it is
addressed and may contain information which is privileged and
confidential, the disclosure of which is prohibited by law.   If the
reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please note that any
dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly
prohibited. If you have received this communication in error please notify
the sender immediately.   Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.
  You can visit our website at http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk   Please
consider the environment, only print out this email if absolutely
necessary.   Please Note:  Both incoming and outgoing Emails may be
monitored and/or recorded in line with current legislation

hide quoted sections

Dear Brighton and Hove City Council,

Do you have any idea as to when I might receive the information requested?

Yours truly,

Steve Parry

6 Attachments

Information requested by: Mr Steve Parry
Review carried out by: Peter Bode
 
 
 
 
 
 
Freedom of Information request
Our reference: 1936933
Your reference: [FOI #511468 email]

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

Dear Mr Parry 
 
I have been tasked with conducting the internal review which you requested
into the Council's response to this freedom of information request.
 

 1. Summary of Request Handling Timeline

 1. Request received: 20/08/2018
 2. Response sent: 04/09/2018
 3. Review requested: 05/09/2018
 
 

 2. Specific Issues you raised
In requesting the review you stated that the Council's response had
not supplied the information you sought, but merely contained a link
to information available on the Housing Ombudsman Website.  
 
 
 3. Decision
Having reviewed your request and the Council's response, I agree that
the Council's response was not relevant to the information you
sought.  Your request was concerned with the preparations the Council
had made for the implementation of the Localism Act and not with the
process for making a complaint through a designated person.

                     Accordingly, I have liaised with the relevant Council
departments and have obtained the information held                      
   which is within the scope of the original request.  
 
                     A summary of the preparations the Council undertook
is set out below and is supplemented by original                          
   documents from that time which are attached to this response.
 

* Preparation tasks were delegated to the Standards and Complaints
Manager at the Housing Management Consultative Sub-Committee on 26th
March 2013.  The minutes setting out the required actions are public
documents and can be found on the Council's website here:  
[1]https://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgc...  
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
    
* In response, a briefing for members was produced and delivered in July
2013.                                                          Please
see the attachment: 'Briefing   for Members ' IHO'                    
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                     
* Consultation material for tenants on the range of proposals for
referring complaints to the Independent Housing Ombudsman was
developed and delivered by Brian Foley, Standards and Complaints
Manager and Ododo Dafe, Head of Income, Inclusion & Improvement.    
This information was presented to Area Panels during 2013.    Please
see the attachment: 'Area panels presentation' (Power Point slides)  
                                                                     
                                                                     
                                                                    
* An article was then placed in the tenants' newsletter 'Homing In'
which described the new arrangement to council tenants.
Please see the attachment: 'Homing In'

 

* The sources of information used by the council to describe to tenants
the option to create tenant panel(s).
As a part of the process for disseminating information to Local
Authorities, all of whom were affected by the changing regulations, a
senior officer from the IHO delivered a briefing to Housing Managers
and Standards and the Complaints Manager at Brighton & Hove in
November 2012. She outlined the implications of the Localism Act and
how complaints would be handled under the new procedure.
Please see the attachment: 'Meeting with Linda Collier_21 11 12.doc'

 
 
The final decision of this review is that your internal review request is
upheld in its entirety.  I apologise for the original response which was a
consequence of the relevant manager misunderstanding intention of the
request.  The person in question has been counselled that a Freedom of
Information Request should always be treated as a request for recorded
information.
 
If you are not content with the outcome of this Internal Review you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner's Office for a
further decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
 
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
 
[2]http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/freedon...
 
Helpline on 0303 123 1113
 
Important: Should you wish to contact us again regarding this request,
please do not edit the existing subject line text when replying to this
email. If you change this it will take us longer to identify the request
that you are corresponding about and will delay us in responding to you. 
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Peter Bode
Records Manager & Data Protection Manager
Information Governance Team
 
 
 
Notice to recipient: The information contained in this electronic mail
message is intended only for the use of the individual to whom it is
addressed and may contain information which is privileged and
confidential, the disclosure of which is prohibited by law.   If the
reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please note that any
dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly
prohibited. If you have received this communication in error please notify
the sender immediately.   Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.
  You can visit our website at http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk   Please
consider the environment, only print out this email if absolutely
necessary.   Please Note:  Both incoming and outgoing Emails may be
monitored and/or recorded in line with current legislation

References

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1. https://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgc...
2. http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/freedon...

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Dear Peter Bode,

Many thanks for the comprehensive and informative information.

Yours truly,

Steve Parry