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30th December 2024

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Council staff working on climate action

Request ID
21567
Date Received
Date Resolved
Details

See notes

Resolution
See notes
Notes
Date

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:

1.
a) 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?
Wokingham Borough Council currently has 1,501 staff in our headcount.

b) 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.
Within the council the below posts primarily focus on the environment/climate.

Climate Emergency Team:
Climate Emergency Service Manager
Specialist Climate Emergency Officer
Climate Emergency Project Officer
Climate Emergency Engagement Officer
Capital Project Manager
Utilities Project Officer

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 members who work 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.
Capital Project Manager
Utilities Project Officer

3. How many planning ecologists or equivalent working for 3 or more days per week (0.6+ FTE) does the council employ to scrutinise planning reports and/or applications for improvements to biodiversity and/or Biodiversity Net Gain? This can include both directly employed and contracted staff, provided they work 3 or more days per week (0.6 FTE). Planning ecologists are ecologists that scrutinise planning applications on biodiversity measures. They often sit within the planning department but they can sit within other departments in the council. If the planning ecologist does sit outside the planning department it must be made clear that the planning ecologist spends 3 days or more per week (0.6 FTE) scrutinising planning applications.
Wokingham Borough Council has three Planning Ecologist posts that spend 3 or more days per week (0.6+ FTE) scrutinising planning reports and/or applications for improvements to biodiversity and/or Biodiversity Net Gain.

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