Expenditure and Ethical Practice FOI Request
Dear Sir or Madam,
FOI Request to determine some expenditure and ethical practice/not by RBKC;
1.How much money was spent by the various legal departments in total by RBKC between
July 2002 and July 2009
2.How many people work in legal (temp or permanent) departments in RBKC and what is their annual wages in total from
July 2002 -July 2009
3. How many staff are trained by RBKC to use NLP/Hypnosis (as is Brett Taylor) with the public?
4. How many social work staff are/were there employed (temp/permanent) at RBKC between july 2002 and july 2009 and what are their annual wages in total?
Yours faithfully,
Liz R
Dear Ms R
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REF: 2009-478
I am writing to confirm that we received your information request on 20
August 2009. For your information and future communications your request
has been allocated the reference number FOI2009-478. Please quote this
reference in any future correspondence.
We will consider your request and respond in accordance with the
requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Our duty is to
respond promptly or at least within 20 working days.
Yours sincerely
Robin
Robin Yu
Information Protection Assistant
FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit
Information Systems Division (ISD)
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX
Tel: 020 7938 8226
Web: [1]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk
References
Visible links
1. http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/
Dear Ms R
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REF: 2009-478
I am responding to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
which we received on 20 August 2009 for information held by the Council.
You requested the following information:
1. How much money was spent by the various legal departments in total by
RBKC between July 2002 and July 2009.
See attached spreadsheet.
2. How many people work in legal (temp or permanent) departments in RBKC
and what is their annual wages in total from July 2002 -July 2009.
See attached spreadsheet.
3. How many staff are trained by RBKC to use NLP/Hypnosis with the public?
None.
4. How many social work staff are/were there employed (temp/permanent) at
RBKC between July 2002 and July 2009 and what are their annual wages in
total?
We are unable to provide this information as the cost involved in locating
and retrieving it would exceed the appropriate limit as defined in the
Freedom of Information Act. The information requested is not easily
retrievable. It would be difficult to get from the financial system as the
information is not held by post numbers (we cannot tell who is a social
worker without looking at each one and then comparing on the HR system).
Section 12 of the FOI Act makes provision for public authorities to refuse
requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed
the appropriate limit, which for local authorities is set at £450. This
represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours determining
whether the Council holds the information, locating, retrieving and
extracting the information.
As we estimate that it will take in excess of 18 hours to locate, retrieve
and extract this information. We are therefore refusing to supply the
information requested. However, we might be able to provide information
for less years or provide estimates if this is acceptable.
Copyright
Please note, all material provided by the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea in response to your request for information is for your personal,
non-commercial use. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea reserves
all rights in the copyright of the information provided. Any unauthorised
copying or adaptation of the information without express written
confirmation from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will
constitute an infringement of copyright. Any intention to re-use this
information commercially will require consent. Please forward any requests
for re-use of information to the FOI officer ([1][RBKC request email]).
Complaints
I trust this has satisfied your request. Should you be unhappy with the
handling of your request, the Council has an internal complaints process
for handling FOI Act complaints. Complaints are reviewed by the Town Clerk
and Chief Executive or his nominee. A form is available from our website
to lodge your complaint [2]Freedom of Information Complaint Form. Please
contact us if you do not have website access and we can provide you with a
copy of the form.
Following this review, should you still be unhappy with how your
information request has been handled, you have a further right to appeal
to the Information Commissioner who is responsible for ensuring compliance
with the FOI Act.
Yours sincerely
Robin Yu
Information Protection Assistant
FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit
Information Systems Division (ISD)
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX
Tel: 020 7938 8226
Web: [3]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[RBKC request email]
mailto:[RBKC request email]
2. http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/councilanddemocra...
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/councilanddemocra...
3. http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/
Dear Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
FOI2009-478.
NLP Hypnosis was used on a parent by your independent social worker Brett Taylor.
He called it 'Brief Therapy' and said it was NLP.
He is also an 'independent social worker' who 'travels the country' 'doing assessments' - as part of this FOI may I ask if he pays RBKC rents for space and why he is regarded as an independent ' social work expert when he works all over for other councils? What are his qualifications and training and what is he doing in RBKC offices if he is a private practitioner please?
Yours faithfully,
Liz R
Dear Ms R,
I can confirm that the Council holds information on Mr Taylor's
qualifications and training. However, this information is personal
information and thus exempt under section 40 of the Act.
Under section 40(2) of the FOI Act we are permitted to withhold
information which, if disclosed, would breach any of the Principles
contained in the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act). It is our belief that
the information requested about Mr Taylor's qualifications and training is
personal information which if released would breach Principle 1 (fair and
lawful processing) of the Act as individuals are not informed that this
information might be released into the public domain. This would be an
unwarranted invasion of privacy and not in the public interest. Release of
this information would also be a breach of Principle 2 (information should
only be handled for a limited purpose(s)) as the disclosure of the
information would constitute a different use of the information.
The rest of your email appears to be a complaint about a practitioner
rather than a FOI request and  therefore it is not appropriate to
respond to this under the Act. If you wish to re-direct this as a
complaint then please let me know and I can do this for you.
Yours sincerely
Robin Yu
Information Protection Assistant
FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit
Information Systems Division (ISD)
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX
Tel: 020 7938 8226
Web: [1]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk
Dear Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
How many hours PW do independent social workers rent space at RBKC council and for how many years has this situation been present?
How many other councils do your 'independent social workers' work for (having been told they 'travel up and down the country doing assessments') and do other councils then, subsidise the wages of the independent social worker/s or do RBKC residents pay for this?
How much does the independent social worker/s claim per year in expenses since he/they began working at RBKC and what are the annual wages of the independent social worker/s based at RBKC please?
Please explain the term 'independent social worker' if your independent social workers work for other councils also, who else pays their wages aside from RBKC taxpayers?
Is there any social worker paid by central government and or any other public body placed at RBKC working within RBKC offices now or at any time?
I hope that's clear now.
Yours faithfully,
Liz R
Dear Ms R
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REF: 2009-761
I am writing to confirm that we received your information request on 11
December 2009. For your information and future communications your request
has been allocated the reference number FOI2009-761. Please quote this
reference in any future correspondence.
We will consider your request and respond in accordance with the
requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Our duty is to
respond promptly or at least within 20 working days.
Yours sincerely
Robin Yu
Information Protection Assistant
FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit
Information Systems Division (ISD)
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX
Tel: 020 7938 8226
Web: [1]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk
Dear Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
I'm sorry you have not replied to my FOI request 'Expenditure and Ethical Practice FOI Request', as required by law.
I have to request an internal review for my original request, also, as to why this lack of response.
Yours faithfully,
Liz R
Dear Ms R,
Your email of 11 December was treated as a new FOI request with the
reference 2009-761, which I acknowledged below. We therefore have a
deadline of 13 January.
I hope this helps.
Robin Yu
Information Protection Assistant
FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit
Information Systems Division (ISD)
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX
Tel: 020 7938 8226
Web: [1]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk
Dear Ms R
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REF: 2009-761
I am responding to your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
which we received on 11 December 2009 for information held by the Council.
You requested:
How many hours PW do independent social workers rent space at RBKC council
and for how many years has this situation been present?
None
How many other councils do your 'independent social workers' work for
(having been told they 'travel up and down the country doing assessments')
and do other councils then, subsidise the wages of the independent social
worker/s or do RBKC residents pay for this?
a) Not known as they would be independent of us and therefore have no
need to declare this.
b) This council pays in full for any work it engages on its behalf.
How much does the independent social workers claim per year in expenses
since he/they began working at RBKC and what are the annual wages of the
independent social workers based at RBKC please?
A daily or hourly rate would be agreed on commission with reasonable
expenses. This question would require clarification of time period and
definition of the role of independent social worker in order to formulate
an answer.
Please explain the term 'independent social worker' if your independent
social workers work for other councils also, who else pays their wages
aside from RBKC taxpayers?
Generally an independent social worker may be used (often in court
processes) to carry out assessments or specific pieces of work by any
Council on their behalf. They will be an individual who is not on the
payroll of the Council and who will be able to formulate an independent
and objective view.
We are unaware of the context in which you have come across this role so
would require further clarification from you for a complete response.
Is there any social worker paid by central government and or any other
public body placed at RBKC working within RBKC offices now or at any
time?
This question requires further clarification as to its focus and timescale
as central government, in addition to RBKC taxpayers, provides funds for
significant projects at any one time.
Copyright
Please note, all material provided by the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea in response to your request for information is for your personal,
non-commercial use. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea reserves
all rights in the copyright of the information provided. Any unauthorised
copying or adaptation of the information without express written
confirmation from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will
constitute an infringement of copyright. Any intention to re-use this
information commercially will require consent. Please forward any requests
for re-use of information to the FOI officer ([1][RBKC request email]).
Complaints
I trust this has satisfied your request. Should you be unhappy with the
handling of your request, the Council has an internal complaints process
for handling FOI Act complaints. Complaints are reviewed by the Town Clerk
and Chief Executive or his nominee. A form is available from our website
to lodge your complaint
[2]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/councilanddemocra...
Please contact us if you do not have website access and we can provide you
with a copy of the form.
Following this review, should you still be unhappy with how your
information request has been handled, you have a further right to appeal
to the Information Commissioner who is responsible for ensuring compliance
with the FOI Act.
Yours sincerely
Robin Yu
Information Protection Assistant
FOIA Team, Business Protection Unit
Information Systems Division (ISD)
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
The Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX
Tel: 020 7938 8226
Web: [3]http://www.rbkc.gov.uk
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[RBKC request email]
mailto:[RBKC request email]
2. http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/councilanddemocra...
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/councilanddemocra...
3. http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/
Dear Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
you have a Brett Taylor who works permanently as 'independent social worker' and is a NLP and Brief therapy proponent- he is paid by RBKC - is based there and makes huge decisions as to whether (for example) parents are fit and able to see their children- sometimes without having met them - your response doesn't make sense so therefore I'm requesting an internal review
Yours sincerely,
Liz R
Dear Ms Robilliard
I am responding to your email dated 14 January 2010. This is a request
for various pieces of information about what you call "independent social
workers".
We replied to your original FOI request on 13 January 2010.
I do not believe your request constitutes a review but that it constitutes
a separate request. In that request you appear to be seeking information
about a particular person who you assert is a Kensington and Chelsea
member of staff.
Any such information would be personal information and thus exempt under
Section 40 of the Act.
I have reviewed the content of our earlier decision in case you wished me
to review that and I have completed the review without changing the
earlier decision of the Council.
The review is now complete but if you wish to take the matter further, you
have a further right of appeal to the Information Commissioner.
Yours sincerely
Derek Myers
Town Clerk and Chief Executive
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Liz R (Account suspended) left an annotation ()
In my experience, Brett Taylor is an extreme danger to the safety of vulnerable children due to the very secret nature of the PUBLIC family court system, I can't name the children in extreme danger, but if anything bad happens to any child in RBKC, or any other council Mr.Taylor works for 'as an independent social worker making assessments up and down the country' - then you can blame this man, who is passive-aggressive person, and a huge and grave danger to all families who are vulnerable -this is my experience and my opinion, I've never met anyone quite as dangerous as that man