Our Ref: 11842  

Dear Ms Jewell,

INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your request for information which will be dealt with under
the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, we
will let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

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

Please note, due to the outbreak of Covid-19, there may be a delay in
responding to your request. We appreciate your patience at this busy
period.

Kind regards,
 
Catherine

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk

Our Ref: 11842   

Dear Ms Jewell,  
  
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST  
  
I refer to your Freedom of Information request in relation to Council
staff working on climate action.  
  
Right of Access  
  
Section 1(1) of the Act provides any person making a request for
information to a public authority is entitled.  
  
(a) to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds
information of the description specified in the request (which Section
1(6) of the Act designates as the "duty to confirm or deny"), and  
  
(b) if that is the case, to have that information communicated to him.  
  
The right is to obtain access to the information itself and not to the
document or record which contains it.  
  
The Act creates a general right of access to information held by public
authorities subject to various exemptions.  
  
Northumberland County Council confirms that it holds the information you
have requested, please see the following information in response.  
  
I would like information about your council’s staff positions in relation
to climate action for the Council Climate Action Scorecards. This
information is most likely to be held by a HR department or similar.  

In particular, please supply me with information relating to the following
questions:  

Q.1a How many staff does the Council directly employ (excluding
contractors or subcontractors, and excluding teachers), that work directly
for the Council as opposed to a school, leisure centres or other
venture?  

A.1a As of 31 December, the Council directly employed 5,096 members of
staff (excluding schools).  

Q.1b How many directly employed staff spend 3 or more days per week (0.6
Full Time Equivalent (FTE)) on implementing the Climate Action Plan or
other climate change projects? Please provide a list of all the roles.
Please exclude waste management staff unless they are specifically working
3 or more days per week on implementing the Climate Action Plan or other
climate change projects.  

If you have answered yes to have a biodiversity planning officer and/or a
retrofit staff member below, both these staff members can be included in
this question even if they are contracted.  

This is likely to include all staff in your climate/sustainability team,
such as Climate Change Officers or similar. This may include full time
staff who spend 60% of their time on climate change projects and 40% of
their time on other work.  

You might include other staff in other departments, such as a procurement
officer if they are spending 3 or more days per week (0.6 FTE) on writing
and implementing a sustainable procurement policy or a planner that is
working primarily on low carbon policies for new buildings.  

A.1b 9 members of staff covering the following roles:   

• Senior Project Manager (Climate Change)  

• Senior Climate Change and Sustainability Manager  

• Assistant Project Manager (x4)  

• BI Analyst  

• Performance Analyst  

• Project Manager  
 

Q.2 Does the council have one or more staff member who works on home
energy efficiency retrofitting, such as retrofit officers or project
managers across the council area, for 3 or more days per week (0.6+ FTE)?
This can include both directly employed and contracted staff, provided
they work 3 or more days per week (0.6 FTE). The work of this officer may
include working on any retrofit projects, including council buildings,
council homes or private rented or owned households.  

Please list any roles that work in this area, including the full
time equivalent (FTE) if they work part time.  

Please include staff members that are shared with other councils, such as
between county and district councils, and note if they are shared across
other areas. 

A.2 3 employees (FTE) covering the following roles:  

• Retrofit Co-Ordinator  

• Retrofit Assessor  

• Retrofit Community Advisor  

Q.3 How many planning ecologists (ecologists within the planning
department) or equivalent working for 3 or more days per week (0.6+ FTE)
does the council employ to scrutinise planning reports for Biodiversity
Net Gain? This can include both directly employed and contracted staff,
provided they work 3 or more days per week (0.6 FTE).  

A.3 4  

  
Complaints  
  
If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request an internal review by writing within 2 months
from the date of this response to the Information Governance Office:  
  
Information Governance Office, Northumberland County Council, County
Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF  
Email: [1][Northumberland County Council request email]  
  
Information Commissioner  
  
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right by Section 50 of the Act to apply to the Information Commissioner
for a decision as to whether your request has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act at:  
  
The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF  
Tel: 0303 123 1113, Email: [2][email address]  
  
There is no charge for making an appeal.  
  
Yours faithfully,  
  

Julia  
FOI Coordinator – Central Team  
Information Governance Office  
Northumberland County Council  
County Hall  
Morpeth  
Northumberland  
NE61 2EF  
  
Tel: 0345 600 6400  
Email: [3][Northumberland County Council request email]  
Web: [4]http://www.northumberland.gov.uk 

References

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1. mailto:[Northumberland County Council request email]
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3. mailto:[Northumberland County Council request email]
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