Hay Group Consultants

The request was successful.

Dear Powys Council,

I wish to know how much the Council is spending on the utilisation of the Hay Group Consultants for its current management issues and the re-structure of the workforce.

1. Please provide the names of each stage or project for which the Council has engaged the Services of the Hay Group in connection with the project referred to as “Improving Organisational Effectiveness” and all other change management, workforce, development, organisational effectiveness and management re-structure projects connected with this theme.

2. Please confirm the total amount the Council has paid to the Hay Group Consultants in respect of each stage or project.

3. Please confirm the date on which each piece of work has been approved by the Cabinet.

4. Please include the overall figures for the fees and, separately, the overall figures for any additional payments such as disbursements and expenses in respect of each project.

5. For the avoidance of doubt, please exclude fees paid to the Hay Group in connection with the JE/Single Status project, but please also include any further pieces of work for which the Council envisages the engagement of Hay Consultants within the next 12 months.

Yours faithfully,

Laura James

Freedom of Information Queries (CSP - Generic), Powys County Council

March 7, 2013

 

Person Dealing:   Andrea Hughson

Direct Dial:      01597 827512

 

Dear Ms. James,

 

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000

Reference No: F-2013-00185

 

Thank you for your request for information, received at this office on
March 7, 2013, in which you requested details of the spending on the
utilisation of the Hay Group Consultants for its current management issues
and the re-structure of the workforce.

 

The above is a summary of your request. The full details of the
information sought is provided to the officer to whom the request is
tasked.

 

Your request will now be considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Act, subject
to the information not being exempt or containing a reference to a third
party. In some circumstances Powys County Council may be unable to achieve
this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised
time-scale at the earliest opportunity.

 

There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of
the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and
the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment
from you. If you choose not to make a payment then your request will
remain unanswered.

 

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to
another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest
possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

 

The due date for responding to this request for information is April 8,
2013.

 

Should you need to discuss this further please contact the officer dealing
with your request as identified at the beginning of this letter or
Information Management on 01597 827512 / 7513.

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in
Powys County Council.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

Andrea Hughson

Rheolwr Cofnodion a Chydymffurfiaeth

Records & Compliance Manager

 

_________________________________________

 

Powys County Council

Information Management

Unit 29, Ddole Road Enterprise Park

Llandrindod Wells

Powys

LD1 6DF

01597 827512

 

[1]http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=46&...

 

 

 

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Dear Freedom of Information Queries (CSP - Generic),

I understand that the response to my request should have been provided on 8th April 2013.

Can you please confirm that you are dealing with my request in accordance with the Freedom of Information legislation and that I will receive a response very soon.

Yours sincerely,

Laura James

Freedom of Information Queries (CSP - Generic), Powys County Council

Dear Ms James,

Thanks for your e-mail regarding your request for information relating to 'Spending on the utilisation of the Hay Group Consultants for its current management issues and the re-structure of the workforce'.

I regret the delay you have experienced with this request. I acknowledge that Powys County Council has failed in its obligation under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to provide you with a response to your request within the statutory timescale of 20 working days. Please accept my apologies for this and for any inconvenience this may have caused.

I will endeavour to send a response to you as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Gwen Middleton

Senior Records and Compliance Assistant
01597 827513

Information Management
29 Ddole Road Enterprise Park
Llandrindod Wells
LD1 6DF

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Dear Powys Council,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Powys Council's handling of my FOI request 'Hay Group Consultants'.

Further to my email prompting you for a response to my request, I have still not received a reply. You are required to provide me with the information requested or issue me with a refusal notice within 20 working days. This is a legal obligation, not a guideline. You have therefore failed to comply with the Freedom of Information law and I would like this matter referred to your complaints department.

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

Yours faithfully,

Laura James

Freedom of Information Queries (CSP - Generic), Powys County Council

Person Dealing: Helen Dolman
Direct Dial: 01597 826400

Dear Miss James,

FREEDOM of INFORMATION ACT 2000
Reference No: F-2013-00185

With reference to your request for information, received by Powys County Council on 7th March 2013, in which you requested details regarding the Hay Group Consultants.

I regret the delay you have experienced with this request and the dissatisfaction you have expressed. This matter has been referred to the authority's Senior Information Risk Owner for review.

Your complaint will be considered and you will receive a response within 20 working days as defined by the Council's Freedom of Information Complaints Policy. In some circumstances we may be unable to achieve this deadline. If this is likely you will be informed and given a revised time-scale at the earliest opportunity. The due date for this review is 20th May 2013.

Should you need to discuss this further please contact the officer dealing with your complaint as identified at the beginning of this letter or Information Management on 01597 827512/7513.

Yours sincerely,

Gwen Middleton
Senior Records and Compliance Assistant
01597 827513

Information Management
29 Ddole Road Enterprise Park
Llandrindod Wells
LD1 6DF

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Helen Dolman (CSP - ICT), Powys County Council

Dear Miss James

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

Reference Number: F-2013-00185

 

Officer Dealing: Helen Dolman

Tel Number: 01597 826400

 

Further to Powys County Council’s email of the 22^nd April 2013 please be
advised that it will not be possible to provide you with the outcome of my
findings within the 20 working days specified as initially advised.

 

Whilst I appreciate your disappointment in not being provided with the
outcome of my findings I hope you will accept my apologies for this delay
and for any inconvenience this causes and be assured that I expect to be
able to respond to you within 15 working days.

 

Should you wish to discuss this in greater detail then please do not
hesitate to contact me.

 

Many thanks

 

Your sincerely

 

 

Helen Dolman

Information Governance Manager 

Cyngor Sir Powys County Council

Ffôn/Tel: 01597 826400

 

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Helen Dolman (CSP - ICT), Powys County Council

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Request: F-2013-00185

 

Officer Dealing: Helen Dolman, Information Governance Manager

Direct Dial: 01597 826400

 

Date: 10^th June 2013

 

Dear Ms James

 

Further to your request for an internal review of Powys County Council’s
handling of your recent Freedom of Information request in relation to
Powys County Council’s use of Hay Group Consultants please be advised that
I have now concluded my investigation into the actions taken by the
Council.

 

I find that Powys County Council failed to respond to your Freedom of
Information request within the statutory timescale of twenty working days,
and therefore has breached Section 10(1) of the Act.

 

Please accept my apologies on behalf of Powys County Council for this
delay in responding to your request.

 

Your information request was made to Powys County Council on the 6^th
March 2013, and under Section 10(1) Powys County Council was obliged to
provide you with a response by the 8^th April 2013.

 

Part I of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, places a duty on public
authorities to respond to requests for information, and in particular,
under Section 10 (1), requires that they comply within twenty working days
of the request being received.

 

Section 10(1) Freedom of Information Act 2000, states;

Subject to subsections (2) and (3), a public authority must comply with
section 1(1) promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth
working day following the date of receipt.

 

Since neither fees nor an exemption was appropriate to this request then
subsections (2) & (3) above are not relevant.

 

During the time of Powys County Council actioning your request there was a
change of Records and Compliance Manager, and also the departure of a
senior manager who was integral to the Council’s use of Hay Group
Consultants.

 

The change of staff within the Information Management Unit impacted on the
administration of the request process as reminders to service areas, which
would be normal practice, were missed to be sent.

 

Also at the time of your request for an internal review, 18^th April 2013,
the pertinent senior manager had already left the organisation and so time
has been spent gathering information which they would have had to hand.

 

Therefore due to changes within the organisation it appears that your
request for information was not actioned in line with normal practices;
and for this, I again apologise on behalf of the Council. 

 

Please find below Powys County Council’s response to your original
request.

 

I wish to know how much the Council is spending on the utilisation of the
Hay Group Consultants for its current management issues and the
re-structure of the workforce.

    

 1. Please provide the names of each stage or project for which the
Council has engaged the Services of the Hay Group in connection with
the project referred to as “Improving Organisational Effectiveness”
and all other change management, workforce, development,
organisational effectiveness and management re-structure projects
connected with this theme.

 

The stages or phases of the “Improving Organisational Effectiveness” were
simply called Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.

    

 2. Please confirm the total amount the Council has paid to the Hay Group
Consultants in respect of each stage or project.

Phase 1 - 139,840.29

Phase 2 - 165,860.23

Phase 3 – No Payments made as yet

 

Total paid to date £ 305,700.52

    

 3. Please confirm the date on which each piece of work has been approved
by the Cabinet.

Cabinet gave approval for the engagement of the Hay Group for each
separate phase on:-

6^th March 2012

[1]http://intranet.powys.gov.uk/index.php?i...

 

2^nd October 2012

[2]http://intranet.powys.gov.uk/index.php?i...

 

4^th December 2012

 

[3]http://intranet.powys.gov.uk/index.php?i...

 

    

 4. Please include the overall figures for the fees and, separately, the
overall figures for any additional payments such as disbursements and
expenses in respect of each project.

The total figures paid to Hay Group are provided at question 2.

Phase 1 - £134,500 fees and £5,340.29 expenses

Phase 2 - £156,450 fees and £9,410.23 expenses

Phase 3 – No Payments made as yet

 5. For the avoidance of doubt, please exclude fees paid to the Hay Group
in connection with the JE/Single Status project, but please also
include any further pieces of work for which the Council envisages the
engagement of Hay Consultants within the next 12 months.

 

The Hay Group have provided development sessions for managers within the
Revenues and Benefits service area.  It is anticipated that the cost of
this work will be in the region of £8,750 plus expenses.

 

The services of the Hay Group are currently being employed in a review of
Planning, Regeneration and Development Control. No payments have yet been
paid in connection with this work but costs of £16,750 plus VAT and
expenses are predicted. Approval of Cabinet was not required, but
discussions were held with the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio
Holder before the work was commissioned.

 

The services of the Hay Group will also be utilised in the forthcoming
appraisal of those candidates having applied for senior positions within
the Council.

 

Again no payments have yet been made, but it is anticipated that the cost
of this work will be in the region of £32,500 plus expenses.

 

I trust we have met your information requirements at this time. We believe
that this request is now complete and shall be closed. Should any further
information be requested regarding this topic, a separate request will
need to be submitted.

 

The Code of Practice (Freedom of Information Act 2000, Section 45) makes
it clear that public authorities must have in place procedures for
handling requests for information and complaints.

 

Based upon the duty the Act places upon public authorities, the Code of
Practice issued under Section 45 of the Act and the Information
Commissioner’s Good Practice Guidance No 5 “How long do I have to carry
out an internal review?” where it is made clear that in his view an
internal review should be carried out within 20 working days from the date
of the request; it is apparent that public authorities must have in place
internal processes and resources in order to discharge these functions.

 

Whilst Powys County Council has in place those processes for actioning
complaints, I am afraid I was not able to meet the timescales required, as
explained in my email of the 20^th of May 2013. Please accept my apologies
for not responding to your request for an internal review within 20
working days as you were originally advised, and for any inconvenience
this may have caused. I appreciate your patience in this matter.

 

I trust we have met your requirements with a satisfactory explanation as
to the circumstances that lead to our failure to respond to your request
within timescales.

 

Should you remain dissatisfied with the service you have received from
Powys County Council you can make an appeal to the Information
Commissioner, who is the statutory regulator. The Information Commissioner
can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone 01625 545 700

[4]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Helen Dolman

Information Governance Manager 

Cyngor Sir Powys County Council

Ffôn/Tel: 01597 826400

 

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References

Visible links
1. http://intranet.powys.gov.uk/index.php?i...
2. http://intranet.powys.gov.uk/index.php?i...
3. http://intranet.powys.gov.uk/index.php?i...
4. blocked::http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/

Helen Dolman (CSP - ICT), Powys County Council

Dear GLASS

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

Reference Number: F-2013-00231

 

Officer Dealing: Helen Dolman

Tel Number: 01597 826400

 

Further to Powys County Council’s email of the 13^th May 2013 please be
advised that it will not be possible to provide you with the outcome of my
findings within the 20 working days specified as initially advised.

 

Whilst I appreciate your disappointment in not being provided with the
outcome of my findings I hope you will accept my apologies for this delay
and for any inconvenience this causes and be assured that I expect to be
able to respond to you within 8 working days.

 

Should you wish to discuss this in greater detail then please do not
hesitate to contact me.

 

Many thanks

 

Your sincerely

 

 

Helen Dolman

Information Governance Manager 

Cyngor Sir Powys County Council

Ffôn/Tel: 01597 826400

 

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Dear Helen Dolman (CSP - ICT),

I have received an email from you. I do not appear to be the intended recipient.

Further, I am unable to access the information via the links you have supplied in your response.

Yours sincerely,

Laura James

Helen Dolman (CSP - ICT), Powys County Council

Dear Ms James

Thank you for bringing this error to my attention, I have now resent the email to the correct recipient.

Further to your comments in respect of the links I provided, please find below a revision which should now take you to the relevant web pages.

3. Please confirm the date on which each piece of work has been approved by the Cabinet.

Cabinet gave approval for the engagement of the Hay Group for each separate phase on:-

6th March 2012
http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=47&...

2nd October 2012
http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=47&...

4th December 2012
http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=47&...

Should you experience any further problems with these links then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Helen Dolman
Information Governance Manager 
Cyngor Sir Powys County Council
Ffôn/Tel: 01597 826400

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