As others have regularly published the lists of how many items of casework are recorded per councillor by Reading Borough Council, but have not done so for some time, I thought I should ask for an update. With the answer to the Freedom of Information request came the inane instruction that they cannot be published except with the express permission of the Head of Legal Services of the Council. That is ridiculous, so I’m publishing them here.
There is not very much of interest to report. I would however highlight the following:-
- A sudden spike in the workrate of Cllr Hartley in Park. Is there an election on?
- The workrate of Cllr White in Park does not seem to be replicated by his newly-elected colleague.
- Those who have not seemed to be doing very much in recent statistics, do not seem to be doing very much still (with the one exception, above). Cllr Stevens props up the foot of the table, not for the first time. The others with very low amounts of casework have generally appeared in similar positions before.
The stats, broken down by party, are:-
Labour
| Councillor | Ward |
No of enquiries |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
| PAGE, Tony | ABBEY |
68 |
12 |
24 |
14 |
3 |
15 |
| LOVELOCK, Jo | NORCOT |
55 |
4 |
10 |
24 |
7 |
10 |
| EDEN, Rachel | WHITLEY |
51 |
10 |
16 |
9 |
10 |
6 |
| HARTLEY, Jon | PARK |
49 |
2 |
17 |
16 |
7 |
7 |
| GAVIN, Jan | REDLANDS |
45 |
4 |
19 |
12 |
5 |
5 |
| ENNIS, John | SOUTHCOTE |
38 |
6 |
3 |
13 |
1 |
15 |
| HACKER, Sarah | BATTLE |
35 |
5 |
8 |
10 |
10 |
2 |
| RODDA, Matt | KATESGROVE |
30 |
0 |
3 |
11 |
8 |
8 |
| WOODWARD, Paul | CHURCH |
26 |
2 |
13 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
| ORTON, Mike | WHITLEY |
25 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
12 |
4 |
| EDWARDS, Deborah | SOUTHCOTE |
25 |
9 |
7 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
| RUHEMANN, Pete | SOUTHCOTE |
24 |
7 |
4 |
12 |
1 |
0 |
| KHAN, Gul | BATTLE |
19 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
| EDWARDS, Kelly | WHITLEY |
18 |
6 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| TICKNER, Bet | ABBEY |
18 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
| GITTINGS, Paul | MINSTER |
13 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
| AYUB, Mohammed | ABBEY |
9 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
| MASKELL, Chris | BATTLE |
9 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| WATSON, Debbie | MINSTER |
8 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| HOSKIN, Graeme | NORCOT |
7 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| JONES, Peter | NORCOT |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| LIVINGSTON, Marian | MINSTER |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
Conservative
| CHOWDHARY, Jamie | PEPPARD |
46 |
5 |
15 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
| RALPH, Mark | PEPPARD |
32 |
2 |
19 |
7 |
0 |
4 |
| BALLSDON, Isobel | THAMES |
31 |
2 |
8 |
2 |
11 |
8 |
| VICKERS, Sandra | TILEHURST |
29 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
12 |
| CUMPSTY, Andrew | CAVERSHAM |
24 |
10 |
3 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
| WILLIS, Richard | PEPPARD |
21 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
12 |
4 |
| RYNN, Jenny | KENTWOOD |
19 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
| HARRIS, Tim | CHURCH |
15 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
| JANJUA, Azam | CHURCH |
13 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
| LUCKETT, Dave | CAVERSHAM |
13 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
| STANWAY, Tom | CAVERSHAM |
12 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
| WARMAN, Emma | KENTWOOD |
6 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
| PUGH, Frederick | MAPLEDURHAM |
5 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
| ANDERSON, James | KENTWOOD |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
| SKEATS, Jeanette | THAMES |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| STEVENS, David | THAMES |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Liberal Democrat
| BENSON, Daisy | REDLANDS |
48 |
10 |
11 |
8 |
8 |
11 |
| DUVEEN, Ricky | TILEHURST |
28 |
5 |
12 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
| GOODALL, Glenn | REDLANDS |
27 |
11 |
7 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
| RYE, Rebecca | KATESGROVE |
22 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
| BEARD, Peter | TILEHURST |
10 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
| SWAINE, Warren | KATESGROVE |
5 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Green
| WHITE, Rob | PARK |
241 |
31 |
49 |
45 |
65 |
51 |
| EASTWOOD, Melanie | PARK |
13 |
0 |
6 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
There is no way that a list of figures is copyrightable. Anyway, Richard Willis has published this in the past seemingly without any problems.
Exactly Jon. But it’s the sort of secretive nonsense that’s hardwired into Reading Council’s culture.
It helps if people publish figures for the same period, as this makes for a fair comparison. So it’s difficult to write a comparison when people don’t.
Gareth
I was wondering why Willis hadn’t published these tables on his blog as he usually does since he sees himself as some sort of a maverick with stats.
Then I realised that that he wouldn’t be wanting to promote his ward colleague, at the top of the Tory table would he?, having engineered his exit from the Tory group!
What a coward!
I couldn’t possibly speculate on the motivations of others not to post the stats when they’ve done so for a long time!
I disagree with your assertion about Melanie. As well as being a mum and working, she is out every week doorknocking, holds monthly surgeries, and attends a range of meetings. Recently she has been working on school places, air quality, football parking and dangerous dogs. All improving the area for local residents.
As the person who first started publishing Front Office statistics I think they are useful, but they should be taken with a pinch of salt.
I don’t have any evidence to dispute that, Rob; just commenting on the stats on the face of it.
Readers may be interested in this postscript by way of a pompous email just received from Reading Borough Council’s Head of Legal Services:-
Dear Mr Epps
I refer to your email to Valerie Rutson of 25 October 2011 timed at 14.17.
Your request to publish the information requested of and disclosed by the Council is granted.
In respect of the comments in your email, you will be interested to note that the Council is both entitled and obliged to protect copyrighted material from being published, and to point out to requestors of information under the Freedom of Information Act that any publication by them of copyrighted material would be a breach of copyright.
The Act itself does not override the provisions within the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and so I do not accept your assertion that the statement is “otiose or false”.
Yours sincerely
Chris Brooks
Head of Legal & Democratic Services