Council staff working on climate action

Thank you for your email to the Highland Council's Customer Resolution &
Improvement Team.  The team are currently experiencing a very high level
of correspondence and as a result there may be a delay in our normal
response times, please accept this email as an acknowledgment that your
correspondence has been received, and a member of the team will be in
touch with you shortly.  

Unless related to the business of The Highland Council, the views or
opinions expressed within this e-mail are those of the sender and do not
necessarily reflect those of The Highland Council, or associated bodies,
nor does this e-mail form part of any contract unless so stated.
Mura h-eil na beachdan a tha air an cur an cèill sa phost-d seo a'
buntainn ri gnothachas Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd, 's ann leis an neach
fhèin a chuir air falbh e a tha iad, is chan eil iad an-còmhnaidh a'
riochdachadh beachdan na Comhairle, no buidhnean buntainneach, agus chan
eil am post-d seo na phàirt de chunnradh sam bith mura h-eil sin air
innse.

Your Freedom of Information request has been submitted.

Request summary

Subject of request: Climate Action Staff
Details of your request: Please treat this as a Freedom of
Information/Environmental Information Regulations request.

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:

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?

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.

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.

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).

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Your reference is FS-Case-479118957. Please quote this if you need to
[1]contact us.

We aim to handle your case within 20 working days of the date we received
your correspondence, which was 2023-01-17.

Yours sincerely,
Customer Resolution & Improvement Team

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Get in touch - [2]Our contact details

Please do not respond to this email, as it has been sent from an
unmonitored mailbox.

Unless related to the business of The Highland Council, the views or
opinions expressed within this e-mail are those of the sender and do not
necessarily reflect those of The Highland Council, or associated bodies,
nor does this e-mail form part of any contract unless so stated.
Mura h-eil na beachdan a tha air an cur an cèill sa phost-d seo a'
buntainn ri gnothachas Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd, 's ann leis an neach
fhèin a chuir air falbh e a tha iad, is chan eil iad an-còmhnaidh a'
riochdachadh beachdan na Comhairle, no buidhnean buntainneach, agus chan
eil am post-d seo na phàirt de chunnradh sam bith mura h-eil sin air
innse.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/591/cou...
2. https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/591/cou...

Dear Ms Jewell,

Request for information under Environmental Information (Scotland)
Regulations 2004

The Council considers that the information requested falls within the
definition of Environmental Information as defined by the Environmental
Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs).  Such information is
exempt from disclosure under Section 39(2) of FOISA, however the Council
must consider your request under the EIRs.  Your request has, therefore,
been treated as a request under the Environmental Information (Scotland)
Regulations 2004. You have the right to ask the Council to review its
decision to apply the EIRs to your request rather than FOISA.

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:

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?

HC Headcount 10,680
Employees directly employed by the Council (excluding Contractors,  
Teaching and School-based staff)
3,608
Teaching and School-based Employees 6,841
NHS Agenda for Change Employees    231

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.

Within the climate Change and Energy Team Highland Council currently
employ the following officers focused on the implementation of a climate
action plan:

Project Manager – Full Time: Focused on delivering a Net Zero strategy and
Action Plan for the Highland Council.

6 x climate Change co-ordinators – Full Time: Focused on: Engagement,
Education, Carbon literacy, Data analysis, Policy and Adaptation.

Project Manager – Full Time: Focused on developing Funding Streams for Net
Zero Projects.

Project Manager – Full Time: Focused on the development and build out of
EV Infrastructure across the region.

Project Manager – Full Time: Focused on the transition of fleet to low
carbon. This incorporates both our light and heavy fleet. Our planned
public transport expansion, Car club and Grey Fleet.

Project Manager – Full Time: focused on the development and delivery of
the EEs:Abs programme delivering decarbonised solutions to privately owned
home owners currently in fuel poverty. Improving energy performance of
homes and installing low carbon heat solutions alongside self-generation
of energy.

6x project officers - 4x Full Time & 2x Part time: Focused on the
development and delivery of the EEs:Abs workstreams.

1x Climate Change Co-ordinator – Full Time: Focused on meeting the
Highland Council’s commitment to deliver a Regional Local energy and
Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES).

1x Energy Manager Plus 4x Energy Engineers, 1x Energy Inspector & 1x Data
Analyst Apprentice: Focused on improved energy efficiency, the development
of low carbon heating solutions and the addition of renewable energy
production across our built estate. Their program of work is developed
around providing assessments for achieving a net zero standard.

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.

Project Manager – Full Time: focused on the development and delivery of
the EEs:Abs programme delivering decarbonised solutions to privately owned
home owners currently in fuel poverty. Improving energy performance of
homes and installing low carbon heat solutions alongside self-generation
of energy.

6x project officers - 4x Full Time & 2x Part time: Focused on the
development and delivery of the EEs:Abs workstreams.

There are a number of external contractors engaged on the project however
we have no detail on their involvement on a weekly basis.

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).

The Highland Council employ 1 FTE 2-year fixed-term planning ecologist.

Under Regulation 16 of the Environmental Information (Scotland)
Regulations 2004 (EIRs), you have the right to request that the Highland
Council reviews any aspect of how it has dealt with your request. This
requirement for review should be put in writing to the Freedom of
Information Officer, Chief Executive’s Office, Glenurquhart Road,
Inverness IV3 5NX, within 40 working days of receipt of this letter. The
request should include details of the information requested and the
aspects of the Highland Council’s response which you are not satisfied
with.

If you are subsequently dissatisfied with the outcome of the Council's
review, you have the right to appeal to the Scottish Information
Commissioner under Regulation 17 of the EIRS, within six months of
receiving the Council's review response.

Kind Regards,

Sean Campbell

Customer Services Officer

The Highland Council

Unless related to the business of The Highland Council, the views or
opinions expressed within this e-mail are those of the sender and do not
necessarily reflect those of The Highland Council, or associated bodies,
nor does this e-mail form part of any contract unless so stated.
Mura h-eil na beachdan a tha air an cur an cèill sa phost-d seo a'
buntainn ri gnothachas Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd, 's ann leis an neach
fhèin a chuir air falbh e a tha iad, is chan eil iad an-còmhnaidh a'
riochdachadh beachdan na Comhairle, no buidhnean buntainneach, agus chan
eil am post-d seo na phàirt de chunnradh sam bith mura h-eil sin air
innse.