£650,000 loan to buy and install PV solar panels on Hartlepool Borough Council (H.B.C.) properties

Jim Gillespie made this Freedom of Information request to Hartlepool Council

The request was partially successful.

From: Jim Gillespie

5 November 2011

Dear Hartlepool Council,

Back in June of this year Mayor Drummond obtained council approval
to borrow £650,000 for the purpose of buying and installing
photovoltaic solar panels onto various public buildings. Can you
now please answer a few questions about this:

1. Has this money been borrowed yet? If so, when, at what interest
rate and how much of it has been spent to date?

2.Back in June, when this announcement was made, Mayor Drummond
expressed a preference that the solar installations be carried out
solely by electricians directly employed by H.B.C. Can you confirm:

A) How many electricians does H.B.C. currently employ?

B) Are any of them MCS accredited to be able to install and then
sign off completed PV solar installations?

C) How much money to date has H.B.C. spent on putting your
electricians through MCS accreditation training and how many
electricians have either been trained or are still in training?

3. Have any solar installations actually taken place yet? If so
please detail on which buildings, the cost of each installation and
the company who carried out each one.

4. If the solar installs (assuming there have been any) were done
by electricians directly employed by H.B.C. can you confirm if the
job(s) went out to competitive tender beforehand or were they
simply "handed" to the H.B.C. electricians?

5. The government have now brought the solar feed in tariff review
date forward from 31/03/2012 to 12/12/2011. How many solar installs
has H.B.C. planned to do and have signed off PRIOR to the new
12/12/2011 deadline?

Depending upon the answers to the above questions I may well have a
few more questions for you, but in the meantime I'd appreciate a
prompt response to the above questions raised.

Yours faithfully,

Jim Gillespie

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From: Jim Gillespie

20 December 2011

Dear Hartlepool Council,

I am disappointed to note that I have had neither an
acknowledgement nor a reply to my previous freedom of information
request.

This reply should have been sent to me no later than 5th December
2011. Can I now respectfully ask that you respond to my request
without further delay.

Yours faithfully,

Jim Gillespie

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From: Freedomofinformation
Hartlepool Council

21 December 2011

Dear Mr Gillespie

Thank you for your email dated 20th December 2011

We apologise for the delay in providing you with a response.

We can confirm that we are currently in the process of collating the information you require and hope to have the information available without further delay.

If you have any more queries please contact [email address] quoting FOI 2323.

Regards

Leanne Purdy

Leanne Purdy
Legal Support Clerk
Legal Division
Chief Executives Department
Hartlepool Borough Council

Tel 01429 523482
Fax 01429 523481
Email [email address]

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From: Freedomofinformation
Hartlepool Council

22 December 2011

Dear Mr Gillespie

Thank you for your request dated 5th November 2011.

 

Please find the information you require below.

 

 

1. Has this money been borrowed yet? If so, when, at what interest  rate
and how much of it has been spent to date?

This money has not been borrowed yet.

 

2.Back in June, when this announcement was made, Mayor Drummond expressed
a preference that the solar installations be carried out

solely by electricians directly employed by H.B.C. Can you confirm:

 

A) How many electricians does H.B.C. currently employ?

There are currently eleven electricians employed by HBC including 1 team
leader and 1 chargehand.  There are an additional 2 apprentices.

 

B) Are any of them MCS accredited to be able to install and then sign off
completed PV solar installations?

There are 3 electricians currently holding an MCS accredited installers
with another in the process.  There are also 2 specified trained
engineers.

 

C) How much money to date has H.B.C. spent on putting your Electricians
through MCS accreditation training and how many electricians have either
been trained or are still in training?

Costs for Phtovoltaic Training:

APSE Training - 1.7.2011 -                                        
£198.00 – 2 staff

Design & Application (Narec) - 28 – 30.9.2011 -        £1790 – 2 staff

Installer – 9 – PPL - 11.8.2011 -                                
£1320.00 – 2 staff

Installer – 11 – 13.10.2011 – PPL - £660.00 – 1 staff member

 

Total £3,968

 

 

3. Have any solar installations actually taken place yet? If so please
detail on which buildings, the cost of each installation and the company
who carried out each one.

At present one located on the Rocket House (commencing today) carried out
by HBC electrical section.The total cost is not yet known

 

4. If the solar installs (assuming there have been any) were done by
electricians directly employed by H.B.C. can you confirm if the job(s)
went out to competitive tender beforehand or were they simply "handed" to
the H.B.C. electricians?

 

We can confirm that no competitive procurement action was taken in
relation to electrical works as

these have been carried out by HBC's in-house direct services team.

 

5. The government have now brought the solar feed in tariff review date
forward from 31/03/2012 to 12/12/2011. How many solar installs has H.B.C.
planned to do and have signed off PRIOR to the new 12/12/2011 deadline?

 

 One described above due to the governments policy change which originally
had a completion deadline of 31st March and was only changed last week

 

 

I hope that this information deals with your request, however if you are
dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask
for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted
within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original
request and should be sent to Chief Executives Department, Legal Services
Division, Level 3, Civic Centre, Hartlepool, TS24 8AY,
[email address].

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF, www.ico.gov.uk.

 

Regards

Leanne

 

 

Leanne Purdy

Legal Support Clerk

Legal Division

Chief Executives Department

Hartlepool Borough Council

 

 

 

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