Gross Cost of LCC Legal Services partnership with BBC, ELDC, NKDC, SHDC & WLDC [2013/14 or, if unavailable, 2012/13]

The request was successful.

Dear Lincolnshire County Council,

Hello. My name is 'Nigel'. That is my given name. My family name is 'Ward'. Please take note of the fact that it is my stated preference to be addreessed by my given name - 'Nigel'. Please be aware that I find it deeply offensive to be addressed by my family name - 'Ward'. Please be aware that I find it deeply offensive to be addressed by any title (e.g. 'Mr' or 'Mister'). In your correspondence with me, I wish you to address me as 'Nigel', as to do otherwise would be deeply offensive and disrespectful to me. Thank you.

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting the following information.

Notwithstanding the fact that I acknowledge that LCC Legal Services is a partnership between Lincolnshire County Council, Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council, North Kesteven District Council, South Holland District Council and West Lindsey District Council, I would like to know the gross cost (i.e. the gross burden on the public purse), for the financial year 2013-2014, of operating and maintaining the Legal Services partnership. I would like your response to take into account the following:

(a) Gross salaries; meaning the sum of all salaries paid to staff employed full- or part-time in the combined Legal Services partnership,

(b) Gross NHI contributions; meaning the sum of all of the employer's NHI contributions paid in respect of all staff employed full- or part-time in the combined Legal Services partnership,

(c) Gross pension contributions; meaning the sum of all of the employer's pension fund contributions paid in respect of all staff employed full- or part-time in the combined Legal Services partnership,

(d) gross procurement costs; meaning all costs relating to stationery, computers, IT ancilliaries, telephone equipment and line rentals, wi-fi capability, vehicles (including insurances, road tax, maintenance, servicing), fuel, heating, lighting, rental costs, consumables (including ink cartridges, memory media, etc),

(e) gross training costs; meaning extramural training courses accessed under the auspices of external organisations such as Common Purpose, NALC, LLCA, or similar,

(f) gross costs of external legal advice; meaning the consulation of Solicitors and/or Barristers external to the bodies corporate which draw upon the preofessional services provided by the Legal Services partnership.

(g) gross miscellaneous costs; meaning general running costs of the Legal Services partnership not listed in points (a) through (f).

For clarity, I am seeking an itemised accounting of the absolute gross costs of maintaining the Legal Services partnership for the financial year 2013-2014.

You may use a *.xls spreadsheet to tabulate such aspects of your response as are best provided in that format (Please Note: NOT in *xlsx format).

If figures for the stated period are not yet available, please provide the equivalent information for the financial year 2013-2013 - but only in that circumstance.

In short, I am looking for a detailed accounting of the gross cost to the public purse of the most recent available financial year in respect of the Legal Services partnership as part of a study researching 'value for money' and 'fitness for purpose'.

If you remain in any way unclear regarding the scope of this Freedom of Information request, please feel free to log it, acknowledge it, provide a unique designated FOIA number; then message me through WDTY.COM and specify the clarification you feel you may require.

I trust that this is all perfectly clear.

Yours, with very kind regards,

Nigel

FOI, Lincolnshire County Council

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FOI, Lincolnshire County Council

3 Attachments

 

 

Freedom of Information
Customer Service Centre
Witham Park House
Waterside South
Lincoln
LN5 7JN
Tel: 01522 782187
[1][email address]

[2]www.lincolnshire.gov.uk

                                               

5^th September 2014

 

Dear Nigel

 

Freedom of Information Reference: 13726308 FOI

 

Subject: Request for information regarding the gross cost (i.e. the gross
burden on the public purse), for the financial year 2013-2014, of
operating and maintaining the Legal Services partnership.

 

 

Thank you for your recent request for information received by this office
on 5^th September 2014. Your request is being dealt with under the terms
of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 

 

Your request will be handled by the Resources Directorate. We will aim to
respond to your request, notifying you whether or not the information
requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council and communicating that
information to you (provided that the information is not exempt under the
terms of the Act), within 20 working days from the day after your request
was received.

 

We may reasonably require further information from you in order to
identify and locate the information requested. If this is the case we will
contact you in due course.

 

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, we
will let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be
required to pay before we will proceed to deal with your request.

 

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact us. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

 

Yours sincerely,

James Taylor

Freedom of Information
Customer Service Centre

[3][email address]

 

The information we have supplied to you may contain intellectual property
rights of Lincolnshire County Council. Your use of the information must be
strictly in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as
amended), or other applicable legislation. In particular, you must not
re-use this information for any commercial purpose.

If you would like to re-use this information for any commercial purpose
you must make a formal request to us under the Re-Use of Public Sector
Information Regulations 2005.  Please email us at
[4][email address]

 

 

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James,

Many thanks for your prompt acknowledgement of my Freedom of Information request - Reference: 13726308 FOI.

I look forward to your full response.

Very kind regards,

Nigel

Dear Lincolnshire County Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an Internal Review of Lincolnshire County Council's handling of my FOI request 'Gross Cost of LCC Legal Services partnership with BBC, ELDC, NKDC, SHDC & WLDC [2013/14 or, if unavailable, 2012/13]'.

The Council's response on this request is now out-of-time and overdue.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/g...

Yours, with kind regards

Nigel

FOI, Lincolnshire County Council

Dear Nigel

Thank you for your email.

I have looked at your file 13726308FOI and also your page on whatdotheyknow.com.

Lincolnshire County Council has 20 working days to respond to your request for information. You sent us your request on 03.09.14 and I calculate that using the 20 working day rule we have until 02.10.14 to respond.

We are unable to conduct an internal review of your request when the statutory timescale for response has not expired.

Lincolnshire County Council is not in a position to conduct an internal review until after 02.10.14.

Rest assured your request is currently in hand and you will receive your response within the statutory timescale.

Yours Sincerely

David Coulson
Freedom of Information
Lincolnshire County Council
[email address]

P Please consider the environment before printing this email
 
This e-mail may include legally privileged information and contains confidential material intended only for the use of the addressee. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of information contained herein, together with distribution or copying of this e-mail, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify me by return e-mail. If your email is a request under the Freedom of Information Act then please send this to [email address] . This is the email account that is used to process Freedom of Information Act requests

show quoted sections

FOI, Lincolnshire County Council

3 Attachments

 

 

Freedom of Information
Customer Service Centre
Witham Park House
Waterside South
Lincoln
LN5 7JN
Tel: 01522 782187
[1][email address]

[2]www.lincolnshire.gov.uk

 

 

Date: 7^th October 2014

 

Dear Nigel

 

Freedom of Information Reference:  13726308FOI

 

Subject: Request for information.

 

Please find our response to your request below:

 

Request & Response

 

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting
the following information.

 

Notwithstanding the fact that I acknowledge that LCC Legal Services is a
partnership between Lincolnshire County Council, Boston Borough Council,
East Lindsey District Council, North Kesteven District Council, South
Holland District Council and West Lindsey District Council, I would like
to know the gross cost (i.e. the gross burden on the public purse), for
the financial year 2013-2014, of operating and maintaining the Legal
Services partnership. I would like your response to take into account the
following:

 

(a)  Gross salaries, meaning the sum of all salaries paid to staff
employed full- or part-time in the combined Legal Services partnership,

 

(b)  Gross NHI contributions; meaning the sum of all of the employer’s NHI
contributions paid in respect of all staff employed full- or part-time in
the combined Legal Services partnership,

 

(c)  Gross Pension contributions; meaning the sum of all of the employer’s
pension fund contributions paid in respect of all staff employed full- or
part-time in the combined Legal Services partnership,

 

(d)  Gross procurement costs; meaning all costs relating to stationary,
computers, IT ancillaries, telephone equipment and line rentals, Wi-Fi
capability, vehicles (including insurances, road tax, maintenance,
servicing) fuel, heating, lighting, rental costs, consumables (including
ink cartridges, memory media, etc)

 

(e)  Gross training costs; meaning extramural training courses accessed
under the auspices of external organisations such as Common Purpose, NALC,
LLCA or similar,

 

(f)    Gross costs of external legal advice; meaning the consultation of
Solicitors and/or Barristers external to the bodies corporate which draw
upon the professional services provided by the Legal Services partnership,

 

(g)  Gross miscellaneous costs; meaning the general running costs of the
Legal Services partnership not listed in points (a) through (f).

 

For clarity, I am seeking an itemised accounting of the absolute costs of
maintaining the Legal Services partnership for the financial year
2013-2014.

 

In accordance with Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000,
you are advised that Lincolnshire County Council does hold information
that falls within the description specified in your request. To answer
your specific questions in respect of the 2013-14 costs of Legal Services
Lincolnshire:

 

(a)  Total Gross Salaries = £2,143,249.00

 

(b)  Total Gross NHI Contributions = £168,588.00

 

(c)  Total Gross Pension Contributions = £397,624.00

 

(d)  Total Gross Procurement Costs = £350,315.92

 

(e)  Total Gross Training Costs = £17,003.37

 

(f)   Total Gross Cost of External Legal Advice = £854,767.00

 

(g)  Total Gross Miscellaneous Costs = £222,719.15

 

We believe this answers your request in full.

 

You are entitled to an internal review of the administration of your
request. You can request an internal review by contacting
[3][email address]. Should you remain dissatisfied following the
outcome of the review you can submit a formal complaint to the Information
Commissioner's Office. Further information can be obtained from their
website [4]www.ico.gov.uk.

 

Once again, thank you for your enquiry.

 

Yours sincerely

 

David Coulson

Freedom of Information

Lincolnshire County Council

[5][email address]

 

The information we have supplied to you may contain intellectual property
rights of Lincolnshire County Council. Your use of the information must be
strictly in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as
amended), or other applicable legislation. In particular, you must not
re-use this information for any commercial purpose.

If you would like to re-use this information for any commercial purpose
you must make a formal request to us under the Re-Use of Public Sector
Information Regulations 2005.  Please email us at
[6][email address]

 

 

 

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