We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are jez please sign in and let everyone know.

Notice of Freedom of Information Request for 5G Infrastructure in Wirral

We're waiting for jez to read a recent response and update the status.

Dear Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council,

To save repeating these daily x 10 FOIA requests for the next 12 days, as there are over 140 masts in Wirral, I will now list 10 masts per request, beginning here below...

I recently had an FOI request partially answered; you listed the fact that Paul Martin had answered the parts that you did not answer in my correspondence with him. This is in fact not true as he had not answered any of my questions, which precipitated my original FOI request.

I will resubmit the more pertinent questions for each mast.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, can you supply the following answers to the
Questions below:

1) On the installation of 5G equipment and the large monopole installation at:

- Liscard Fire Station, Mill Lane
- Roof of Tower Flats, Mill Lane, Liscard
- Greenwood Lane, Egremont
- King Street, Egremont
- Poulton Road and The Grove , Seacombe
- Poulton Road and York Road, Seacombe
- Borough Road, Seacombe
- Kelvinside and Wheatland Lane, Seacombe
- East Float Key, Seacombe
- Sewage Works, Woodside

...can you confirm the environmental and health impact analysis the Council have for the granting of planning permission for the equipment?

2) Provide insurance details that the Council hold for radiation exposures and harm against the person that the Council have in regard the siting of 5G equipment on public property in their charge?

3) Provide the structural integrity data report for the monopole and product insurance for structural integrity, fire and fatigue collapse?

4) Provide details of the self-certification certificate from the installers of the 5G equipment with ICNIRP guideline showing radiation output levels from each radiation transmitter in dBm or Watts to confirm compliance with the self-certification that the council have permitted the development

5) Provide details of the Councils compliance with the Social Care Act 2012 in regard protection from increasing Ionizing and Non Ionizing emissions from 5G installations

6) Provide details of all cause mortality data in the area years 2019 – 2020 – 2021 - 2022
I would appreciate your immediate attention, as the safety is imperative and paramount.

Yours faithfully,

jeremy cook

InfoMgr, FinDMT, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

Dear Mr Cook

 

We are in receipt of your 31 recent separate enquiries via the
‘whatdotheyknow’ website.  These enquiries are identical in content but
refer to a number of different mast locations.  As the questions posed are
identical, we propose to respond to all of your enquiries in this singular
response.

 

1) On the installation of 5G equipment and the large monopole
installation...can you confirm the environmental and health impact
analysis the Council have for the granting of planning permission for the
equipment?

No recorded information held. The Council is not required to undertake an
environmental and health impact analysis prior to granting planning
permission.  Government advice set out in the National Planning Policy
Framework - 10. Supporting high quality communications - states that Local
Authorities should not refuse applications for mobile masts on health
grounds where ICNIRP guidelines are met, nor should they set health
safeguards that are different to ICNIRP guidelines.

 

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) (formerly Public Health England), an
executive agency sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care, is
the UK's authority and responsible body on radiation, chemicals and
environmental hazards.  UKHSA is responsible for providing advice to
Government on all aspects of public health, including exposure to
electromagnetic fields emitted by the 5G Network. Wirral Council follows
the research undertaken by UKHSA and acts upon the advice given. 

 

The Council has no legal powers available to it to re-examine the research
and advice of either the UKHSA or ICNIRP, nor to commission its own
scientific analysis or studies of 5G networks. 

 

The responsibility for assessing and protecting every member of every
community from radiological health threats lies with the UKHSA, whose view
is that the overwhelming quantity of evidence currently suggests that
there are no health effects from exposure to 5G, in either adults or
children.

 

2) Provide insurance details that the Council hold for radiation exposures
and harm against the person that the Council have in regard the siting of
5G equipment on public property in their charge?

Not held. There are no insurance implications for the Council arising from
the business activities of private telecommunications companies in
relation to 5G.

 

3) Provide the structural integrity data report for the monopole and
product insurance for structural integrity, fire and fatigue collapse?

Not held. There are no implications for the Council arising from the
business activities of private telecommunications companies in relation to
5G mast installations.

 

4) Provide details of the self-certification certificate from the
installers of the 5G equipment with ICNIRP guideline showing radiation
output levels from each radiation transmitter in dBm or Watts to confirm
compliance with the self-certification that the council have permitted the
development.

Applications for planning permission and prior approvals regarding
Telecommunication Masts require that all applicants sign a declaration
that the proposed equipment is designed to be in full compliance with the
requirements of the radio frequency (RF) public exposure guidelines of the
International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP),
and the EU Council recommendation of 12 July 1999* "on the limitation of
exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300
GHz)" in all areas legitimately accessible to the public.  There is no
planning requirement to provide details of the wattage output of the mast.

 

The applicant’s self-certification declaration is published on the
Council’s Planning Webpage
at:[1]https://www.wirral.gov.uk/planning-and-b....
Should you wish to obtain further details regarding certification from the
installers of the 5G equipment, you should make enquiries directly with
those organisations.

 

5) Provide details of the Councils compliance with the Social Care Act
2012 in regard protection from increasing Ionizing and Non Ionizing
emissions from 5G installations

See our response to Q1 above. The following is a summary of UKHSA’ s
advice which the Council must take account of:

 

Radio waves belong to the category of non-ionising radiation (NIR).  This
is the term given to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum where
there’s insufficient quantum energy to cause ionisations in living matter.

 

The UKHSA’s main advice about radio waves from base stations is that the
guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation
Protection (ICNIRP) should be adopted for limiting exposures.  ICNIRP is
formally recognised as an official collaborating non-governmental
organisation by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is also consulted
by the European Commission.

 

After reviewing the evidence, ICNIRP set guidelines to avoid excessive
heating of the body, an established impact of exposure which can have
detrimental effects.  The ICNIRP guidelines apply to frequencies up to 300
gigahertz and cover exposures arising from new 5G base stations as well as
from older technologies.

 

Control of exposures occurs through product safety legislation, health and
safety legislation and planning policy. The International Commission on
Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) set international exposure
standards protective of health in the late 1990s. None of the vast amount
of evidence since has suggested they needed to change the
standards[2]^[1].

 

The UKHSA states that it continues to monitor the health-related evidence
applicable to radio waves, including in relation to base stations, and is
committed to updating its advice as required.  The UKHSA have recently
updated their guidance on mobile phone base stations: radio waves and
health with information on 5G[3]^[2] to include as follows:

 

The health effects of exposure to radio waves have been researched
extensively over several decades, and very many publications can be found
in scientific journals and elsewhere.  Coordinated research around the
world has addressed concerns about rapidly proliferating mobile
communications technologies from around the year 2000.

Independent expert groups in the UK and at international level have
examined the accumulated body of research evidence.  The overwhelming
quantity of evidence suggest that there are no health effects from using
mobile phones or living in proximity to masts, in either adults or
children.  This includes cancers, serious illnesses and minor illness.

In terms of masts, surveys of exposure levels around them has shown that
in areas in which people can access, the exposure levels are typically
around 5000x lower than the standards and the highest exposure found was
500x lower than the standards.  This means that so long as the equipment
is functioning properly, the risk of exposure above the standard is low
and approaches zero.

 

In case of any further queries regarding public health matters, the UKHSA
can be contacted here: [4][email address].

 

6) Provide details of all cause mortality data in the area years 2019 –
2020 – 2021 - 2022

Mortality information for Wirral is published on the Wirral Intelligence
Service website in our ‘State of the Borough’ section :
[5]https://www.wirralintelligenceservice.or... within
Mortality and Burden of Disease / All-Cause Mortality.

 

If you are unhappy with this response, you have the right under Regulation
11 to ask for a Review by emailing [6][email address] but
please note that Wirral Council has now provided you with all information
we hold, together with guidance to the relevant authorities who can assist
you further.  If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right under
Regulation 18 to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at
[7]https://ico.org.uk/Global/contact_us

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Lynette Paterson

Principal Information Management Officer

Resources – Digital and Improvement

Wirral Council

PO Box 290
Brighton Street
Wallasey
CH27 9FQ

 

Email: [8][Wirral Borough Council request email]

 

Visit our website: [9]www.wirral.gov.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

────────────────────────

 

[10][1]
[11]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

[2]
[12]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.wirral.gov.uk/planning-and-b...
2. file:///tmp/foiextract20230127-2473199-abtsrb#_ftn1
3. file:///tmp/foiextract20230127-2473199-abtsrb#_ftn2
4. mailto:[email address]
5. https://www.wirralintelligenceservice.or...
6. mailto:[email address]
7. https://ico.org.uk/Global/contact_us
8. mailto:[Wirral Borough Council request email]
9. http://www.wirral.gov.uk/
10. file:///tmp/foiextract20230127-2473199-abtsrb#_ftnref2
11. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
12. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are jez please sign in and let everyone know.