Karin Goodwin

Our ref: 36901

Dear Karin Goodwin

Acknowledgement of Request

Subject: Refuse workers

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 27/04/2022.

In your request you asked for the following;

I am looking for the number of refuse workers in your local authority area. Could you please provide the FTE number of staff employed to work in the following financial years – April 2017/18, April 18/19, April 19/20, April 20/21 and April 21/22?

As well as the number of council staff employed to collect bins and recycling, could you tell me how many agency staff your local authority has employed in the years specified.

Finally could you tell me the cost to the council of employing these agency staff.

I'm making this request under freedom of information legislation, so look forward to the response within 20 working days. Please do not hestitate to contact me if you need any clarifications. You can also call me on [phone number removed].

I can confirm that your request will be processed under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004, or the INSPIRE (Scotland) Regulations 2009.

You will receive the information requested within 20 working days unless the Council does not hold the information, or there is a reason for it to be withheld. We will write to you in any event. This means we have until 26/05/2022 to respond to your request.

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

If you have any requirements regarding the format any information should be supplied in, e.g. the language to be used, audio, large print and so on, then please let me know.

If you have any queries or concerns, do not hesitate to get in touch. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

To promote transparency and accountability, it is the Council’s policy to publish all request details and responses made under the freedom of information legislation. This information is available at the following link: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10....

Further information about your rights and accessing information is available on our website at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Unit
Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340
[Edinburgh City Council request email] www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Karin Goodwin

Our ref: 36902

Dear Karin Goodwin

Acknowledgement of Request

Subject: Planning officials

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 26/04/2022.

In your request you asked for the following;

I am looking for the number of FTE planning officials (or equivilent job title) employed by the council in the following financial years (running April to March): 17/18, 18/19, 19/20, 20/21, 21/22.

Please provide total numbers across the department including planning officers and other asssociated job titles.

Can you please also send me the number of planning decisions made by the council in the financial years outlined above?

I am requesting this information under FoI legislation and look forward to getting the response without 20 working days. If you need to clarify anything please let me know. You can also call me on [phone number removed].

I can confirm that your request will be processed under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004, or the INSPIRE (Scotland) Regulations 2009.

You will receive the information requested within 20 working days unless the Council does not hold the information, or there is a reason for it to be withheld. We will write to you in any event. This means we have until 25/05/2022 to respond to your request.

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

If you have any requirements regarding the format any information should be supplied in, e.g. the language to be used, audio, large print and so on, then please let me know.

If you have any queries or concerns, do not hesitate to get in touch. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications.

To promote transparency and accountability, it is the Council’s policy to publish all request details and responses made under the freedom of information legislation. This information is available at the following link: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10....

Further information about your rights and accessing information is available on our website at: www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Unit
Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340
[Edinburgh City Council request email] www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Karin Goodwin

[1][FOI #857223 email]

Our ref: 36902

Dear Karin Goodwin

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Request for Information –
Information otherwise accessible.

Subject: Planning Officials & Decisions

Thank you for your request of 26/04/2022 where you asked questions
regarding the Planning Service. Your request has been processed under the
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I shall address each of your
questions in turn.

You asked for the following:

Q1. Number of FTE planning officials (or equivalent job title) employed by
the council in the following financial years (running April to March):
17/18, 18/19, 19/20, 20/21, 21/22. Please provide total numbers across the
department including planning officers and other associated job titles.

A1. The number of FTE planning officials that work for Planning is
published annually within our Planning Performance Framework, available on
our website at:

[2]https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/d...

Please refer to the ‘Part 6 - Workforce Information’ section of each
year’s report.

All Planning authorities are required by the Scottish Government to
publish this every year. 2021/22 figures are due to be published in June
2022.

Q2. The number of planning decisions made by the council in the financial
years outlined above.

A2. This information is, or will be, published annually by the Scottish
Government and is, or will be, available on their website at:

[3]https://www.gov.scot/collections/plannin...

The City of Edinburgh Council has just submitted figures for 2021/22 and
they are currently being checked by the Scottish Government. They should
be published in the next month or so.

Where the requested information is already published, under the terms of
the Act, a request for information can be refused where one or more of the
exemptions listed in the Act apply. In this instance, the Council is
claiming an exemption under section 25 of the Act because the information
is ‘otherwise accessible’.

If you do have difficulty in accessing the information, or if you have any
queries about this letter, please contact me quoting the reference number
above.

Where information is yet to be checked and published by the Scottish
Government, the Council is claiming the following exemption to the
information that you have requested: Section 27(1)(a) - Information is
exempt information if It is held with a view of being published by a
Scottish public authority at a date not later than twelve weeks after that
on which the request for the information is made.

Please note that this letter constitutes a formal refusal notice under
section 16 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

To promote transparency and accountability, it is the Council’s policy to
publish all request details and responses made under the freedom of
information legislation. This information is available at the following
link:
[4]https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10....

Your right to seek a review

If you are unhappy with the way we have dealt with your request, you can
ask us to review our actions and decisions by writing to the:

Information Compliance

The City of Edinburgh Council

Waverley Court Business Centre 2:1

4, East Market Street

Edinburgh

EH8 8BG or;

Email: [5][email address] 

Please note that your request must be in a recordable format (email,
letter, audio tape etc.), and that you have 40 working days upon receipt
of this letter to ask for a review. You will receive a full response to
your review request within 20 working days of its receipt. Please quote
the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the review, you can ask the
Scottish Information Commissioner to review our decision. You must submit
your complaint to the Commissioner within 6 months of receiving our review
response. The Commissioner can be contacted at:

The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner

Kinburn Castle

Doubledykes Road

St Andrews

Fife

KY16 9DS

Telephone: 01334 464610

Fax: 01334 464611

Website: [6]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

Email: [7][email address]

Yours sincerely,

Iain Burden

Information Rights Officer

Information Governance Unit

Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340

[8][Edinburgh City Council request email]  [9]www.edinburgh.gov.uk

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #857223 email]
2. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/d...
3. https://www.gov.scot/collections/plannin...
4. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10...
5. mailto:[email address]
6. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal
7. mailto:[email address]
8. mailto:[Edinburgh City Council request email]
9. http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/

Karin Goodwin

[1][FOI #857223 email]

Our ref: 36901

Dear Karin Goodwin

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Release of Information

Subject: Refuse Workers

Thank you for your request for information of 27/04/2022 where you asked a
number of questions regarding the above. Your request has been processed
and considered under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and
the information is provided below. I shall address each of your questions
in turn.

You asked the following:

Q1. Number of refuse workers. Provide the FTE number of staff employed to
work in the following financial years – April 2017/18, April 18/19, April
19/20, April 20/21 and April 21/22.

A1. Please refer to the table below for FTE figures as of April of each
financial year:

FTE April 2017 April 2018 April April April April
2019 2020 2021 2022
Refuse 313 345 314.1 354.1 340.3 330.9
Workers

The employees provided above include the following job titles:

Waste and Recycling Collection Operative

Waste and Recycling Operative

Waste and Cleansing Driver Crew Leader

Waste and Cleansing Supervisor

CRC and Waste Transfer Operative

Waste Disposal Site Supervisor

Q2. How many agency staff your local authority has employed in the years
specified above (to also do the same work).

A2. Please refer to the table below which provides the unique worker count
in each of the financial years:

Unique Worker Count 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22
Refuse Workers 80 213 212 154 144

To provide some context, there are a number of reasons for the use of
agency staff over this period. The service is not fully staffed and the
agency are covering vacancies. The recruitment process is on-going. The
main reason for employing agency staff was the additional support required
during the pandemic. Agency covered Covid absences and were also brought
in to drive pool cars when restrictions meant that we went from three in
the cab to just two, with a third following in a pool car to meet the
requirements for social distancing.

Finally, the figures provided in the table above appear inflated as they
represent the number of individual workers brought in, as and when
required, e.g., in 2017/18, eighty individual workers were brought in at
some point in the year to cover for absences/vacancies. These are not
equivalent to FTE.

Q3. The cost to the council of employing these agency staff.

A3. Please refer to the table below:

2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22
Cost £825,340.59 £1,733,606.16 £2,726,654.15 £2,457,974.09 £2,403,353.08

To promote transparency and accountability, it is the Council’s policy to
publish all request details and responses made under the freedom of
information legislation. This information is available at the following
link:
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homepage/10....

Your right to seek a review

If you are unhappy with the way we have dealt with your request, you can
ask us to review our actions and decisions by writing to the:

Information Compliance Team

The City of Edinburgh Council

Waverley Court Business Centre 2:1

4, East Market Street

Edinburgh

EH8 8BG or,

Email: [email address]

Please note that your request must be in a recordable format (email,
letter, audio tape etc.), and that you have 40 working days upon receipt
of this letter to ask for a review. You will receive a full response to
your review request within 20 working days of its receipt. Please quote
the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the review, you can ask the
Scottish Information Commissioner to review our decision. You must submit
your complaint to the Commissioner within 6 months of receiving our review
response. The Commissioner can be contacted at:

The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner

Kinburn Castle

Doubledykes Road

St Andrews

Fife

KY16 9DS

Telephone: 01334 464610

Fax: 01334 464611

Website: www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

Email: [email address]

Yours sincerely,

Iain Burden

Information Rights Officer

Information Governance Unit

Level 2:1, Waverley Court, Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel 0131 200 2340

[Edinburgh City Council request email]  www.edinburgh.gov.uk

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[FOI #857223 email]