Information Requests

PP B3E 2 Please ask for: Simon Butt County Hall FOI Reference: 2977965 Taunton Direct Dial: 01823 359359 Somerset Email: [email protected] TA1 4DY Date: 27 November 2017

Mrs Brenda Prentice ???

Dear Mrs Prentice

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I can confirm that some of the information you have requested is held by Somerset County Council. Our answers are underneath your questions as follows:

Your Request:

Question 1. Please tell me how much has been spent on external legal advice in the last 10 years, year by year.

Answer 1. These figures relate to law firms only, and are by financial year.

2007/2008 £352,541.55 2008/2009 £516,470.58 2009/2010 £315,157.27 2010/2011 £243,278.31 2011/2012 £291,605.66 2012/2013 £466,496.91 2013/2014 £301,703.82 2014/2015 £324,596.15 2015/2016 £715,827.77 2016/2017 £1,040,948.47

Question 2. Please tell me the name or names of the firms used and how many different subjects has advice been sort on.

Answer 2. The following firms have been instructed on any matters in which assistance is needed. We do not have a definition of how subjects are categorised, so cannot put a number on the different subjects.

Alto Legal Services B4 Legal Berrymans Lace Mawer Bevan Britton City Council Burroughs Day Carbon Law Partners Cartridges Charles Russell LLP Chubb Bulleid Clarke Willmott Colemans Cooper Wilkin Chapman Cordner Lewis Cunningham Lindsey DAC Beachcroft Davitt Jones Bould Dolmans Dorians DWF Law Express Solicitors GAB Robins Giffords KFSLP Lyons Davidson Michelmores Porter Dodson Rapid Solicitors Sharpe Pritchard Sintons LLP South West Law Thompsons TLT LLP Veitch Penny WBW solicitors.

Question 3. In a separate costing how much has been spent on litigation around care services.

Answer 3. We do not separately record how much is spent on litigation.

Question 4. How much has been spent on internal legal advice in the last 10 years, year by year on what subjects including around care services.

Answer 4. We do not record this information.

Please quote the reference number 2977965 in any future communications.

If you feel your request has not been answered in sufficient detail, or if you wish to clarify the information given, please contact me, and I will be happy to address the issues you raise.

Alternatively, if you are not satisfied with our response you may request an internal review. This is an independent investigation into the handling of your request, which is carried out by the Information Governance Team. The conclusions of this investigation, and if applicable, a fresh decision about the information to be provided, should be sent to you within twenty working days of receipt of the internal review request.

To request an Internal Review please respond to the email that this response was attached to detailing why you are not satisfied, and your request will be dealt with by the information governance team.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you may then appeal directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office with your complaint. The Information commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF Telephone: 0303 123 1113 Web address: www.ico.gov.uk

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

Simon Butt Information Request Officer