Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
your emails to us.

DEAR Rebecca Brown

Freedom of information request - FOI/8276

Subject: Energy Procurement and Decarbonisation

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days, subject to the application of
any exemptions. Where consideration is being given to exemptions the 20
working day timescale may be extended to a period considered reasonable
depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In such cases
you will be notified and, where possible, a revised time-scale will be
indicated. In all cases we shall attempt to deal with your request at the
earliest opportunity.

If we are unable to provide you with the information requested we will
notify you of this together with the reason(s) why, and details of how you
may appeal.

Please note that the directorate team may contact you for further
information where we believe that the request is not significantly clear
for us to respond fully. 

Kind Regard

Information Management Team

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

7th Floor, Zone B

Bernard Weatherill House

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

Dear Rebecca Brown

Request FOI/8276

Environmental Information Regulations 2004

Your request has been considered under the provisions of the Environmental
Information Regulations 2004. Please accept our apologies for the lengthy
delay in responding to you. Specifically, you have requested the following
information:

1. How many Maintained schools are in your LEA area?

Please see below a link to our website where you can find details for all
schools in Croydon.

[1]https://www.croydon.gov.uk/education/sch...

Energy Procurement:

How do you support schools in your area with procuring energy? In
particular for Maintained Schools, do you: -

2. Allow schools to be part of your own corporate energy contracts (Y/N)
3. Manage school energy procurement in bulk, outside of your own corporate
contract (Y/
4. Advise or recommend 3rd party frameworks or brokers (Y/N)

a. If so, which 3rd parties or frameworks(s)?
b. If the 3rd party is a broker what process was undertaken to appoint or
recommend them?

5. How do you support non-maintained schools such as Academies?
6. Any other Comments

Energy savings and Decarbonisation:

How do you support schools in your area with procuring energy? In
particular for Maintained Schools, do you: -

7. Include schools within your organisational carbon reduction or net zero
targets? (Y/N)
8. Consider schools as a part of your Corporate Estate and plan actions at
schools alongside (say) civic offices? (Y/N)
9. Offer a free service open to all maintained schools to help them reduce
energy use and move towards net zero carbon? (Y/N)
10. Offer a chargeable service open to maintained schools to help them
reduce energy use and move towards net zero carbon? (Y/N)
11. Provide an energy monitoring service to schools? (Y/N)
12. We do not provide energy or carbon saving support to maintained
schools (T/F)
13. How do you support non-maintained schools such as Academies with
Energy and Carbon Reduction?
14. Any other comments?

Solar PV Panels:

Regarding rooftop solar panels in, how do you support Maintained schools
in your area? In particular, do you: -

15. Provide a LEA operated scheme or service to install widespread solar
panels? (Y/N)
16. Support schools utilising 3rd party solar schemes which fund solar
panels (such as rent a roof or PPA)? (Y/N)
a. If so, which 3rd party schemes have you supported?

17. Leave schools to develop their own plans and funding for rooftop solar
panels? (Y/N)
18. Approximately what percentage (or how many) of Maintained schools in
your area have solar panels already installed?
19. Any other comments?

LED Lighting

Regarding LED lighting installations, how do you support Maintained
schools in your area? In particular, do you: -

20. Provide a LEA operated scheme or service to install LED lighting?
(Y/N)
21. Support schools utilising 3rd party LED installation providers? (Y/N)
a. If so, which 3rd parties do you support?

22. Leave schools to develop their own plans and funding for LED lighting?
(Y/N)
23. Approximately what percentage (or how many) of Maintained schools in
your area have LED lighting already installed?
24. Any other comments?

We believe that the information is exempt from disclosure under Regulation
12(4)(b) of the Environmental Information Regulations .

Regulation 12(4)(b) states:
“For the purposes of paragraph (1)(a), a public authority may refuse to
disclose information to the extent that –
(b) the request for information is manifestly unreasonable”

To collate the response in this case would take an inordinate amount of
time due to the huge volume of information involved.  We believe that the
cost of compliance would be too great and we therefore contend that the
request is manifestly unreasonable. 

In deciding whether to apply this exemption the Council is expected to
balance the public interest test in withholding the information against
the public interest in disclosing the information.  In this case we have
considered that the public interest favours non-disclosure due to the
disproportionate burden involved which we believe would place a strain on
council resources and get in the way of the council delivering mainstream
services or answering other requests.

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[2]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

If you are dissatisfied with the way the council has handled your request
under the Environmental Information Regulations you may ask for an
internal review.  This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of
this response.  You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint
by:

Email:        [3][Croydon Borough Council request email]

Writing:     Information Team
London Borough of Croydon
Bernard Weatherill House
7^th Floor - Zone B
8 Mint Walk
Croydon CR0 1EA

 Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

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

Yours sincerely 
 

Croydon Council

References

Visible links
1. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/education/sch...
2. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/
3. mailto:[Croydon Borough Council request email]