Council staff working on climate action
Case reference FOI2023/00079
Published 10 February 2023
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).
Response
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?
1,346
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.
The Council has a dedicated Sustainability & Climate Change team supported by our Project Management Office which has 13 staff as shown below:
Head of Environment, Climate Emergency & Waste (1FTE)
Sustainability & Climate Change Manager (1FTE)
3 * Principal Sustainability & Climate Change Officer (2.6 FTE)
5 * Sustainability & Climate Change Officer (3.9 FTE)
1 * Sustainability Projects & Promotions Officer (0.61 FTE)
2 * Sustainability & Climate Change Assistants (1 FTE)
2 * Senior Project Manager - (1.8 FTE)
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.
Yes
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.
1 * Principal Sustainability & Climate Change Officer (1 FTE)
1 * Sustainability & Climate Change Officer (1 FTE)
1 * Senior Project Manager - (1 FTE)
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).
1 * Principal Natural Environment Officer (Ecology) (0.65)
1 * Ecology & Arboriculture Officer (1FTE)
1 * Senior Ecologist (1FTE)
1 * Graduate Ecologist (1FTE)
1* Apprentice Ecologist (1FTE)
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.