Council staff working on climate action

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Email: [email address]
Web: [2]https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-council/

Dear Hannah Jewell 

RE: Council staff working on climate action 
Thank you for contacting the council on 16/01/2023.
Your case will be assigned to an officer and you should receive their
details soon.

Please use this reference number IRC-26455-L0D8R3 when contacting us about
this case.
Please note that we may require further information in order for us to
proceed, in which case we will contact you. 

If you would like further information on how your case will be dealt with,
please visit our website: [3]https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-council/ 
Yours sincerely 
London Borough of Brent

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The use of Brent Council's e-mail system may be monitored and
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and other lawful purposes.

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[1]brentlogo1 (227×84)   Tel: 02089376607
Email: [email address]
Web: [2]https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-council/

Our Ref: IRC-26455-L0D8R3

Dear Hannah Jewell

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Thank you for your information request received on 16/01/2023.
This request is being handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

You requested the following information:

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 can confirm that Brent Council holds the information you have
requested.

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?
 
2,495
 
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.
 
This is not a straightforward question to answer, it is not possible to
apportion a percentage of time allocated with great certainty. Our best
estimate is below:
 

• Head of Environmental Strategy, Commissioning and Climate Change
• Climate Emergency Strategy Manager
• Funding & Bid Writing Manager (Climate Action
• Senior Sustainability Officer (Business)
• Climate Action Engagement Manager
• Senior Project Manager (Energy & Sustainability)
• Energy Manager
• Project Officer (Energy & Climate)
• Safety and Travel Planning Manager
• Transport Planner
• Safety Education Officer
• Senior Road Safety Officer
• Air Quality Policy & Projects Officer 
• Recycling, Waste Policy & Projects Manager
• 5 x Veolia Eco-Team
• 3 x Planning Ecologists

 
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.
 
This is not a straightforward question to answer, it is not possible to
apportion a percentage of time allocated with great certainty. Our best
estimate is below:

• Senior Project Manager (Energy & Sustainability)
• Energy Manager
• Energy & Water Officer
• Our contractors Wates are currently deploying staff to carry out
retrofit surveys on four council tower blocks. We do not hold the data
on how many members of staff this entails or could be apportioned as a
percentage to this work.
• A portion of our contractors Atalian Servest maintenance contract is
on maintenance and optimisation of controls across our FM managed
buildings to make sure they run efficiently, but we do not hold data
on how many staff could be apportioned as doing this 60% of the week
• We have recently contracted Parity Projects to undertake retrofit
surveys on a number of cluster properties who were  successful for
energy efficiency works as part of the council’s CO2GO programme. We
do not hold the data on how many members of staff this entails or
could be apportioned as a percentage to this work.
• Our contractors Ameresco have led on the £3.2m retrofit programme for
16 council buildings. Ameresco also subcontract specialists to support
this work. We do not hold the data on how many members of staff this
entails or could be apportioned as a percentage to this work.

 
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).
 
 3

If you are dissatisfied with the way, in which your request has been
handled or the outcome, you may request an internal review within two
calendar months of the date of this response by writing to the following
address:

Freedom of Information
Brent Civic Centre
Engineers Way
Wembley
HA9 0FJ

[3][email address]

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or internal
review, you have a right to appeal directly to the Information
Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at:

The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: [4]www.ico.org.uk

I will now close your request as of the date of this letter. 

Yours sincerely 
Tom Welsh
Climate Emergency Strategy Manager

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

The use of Brent Council's e-mail system may be monitored and
communications read in order to secure effective operation of the system
and other lawful purposes.

References

Visible links
2. https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-council/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.ico.org.uk/