FOI request (FOIR-758710458)

Climate Change Reduction Staffing and Expenditure

Requested Tue 21 October 2025
Responded Thu 23 October 2025

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (or Environmental Information Regulations 2004 if applicable), I request the following aggregate data on expenditure for net zero/carbon reduction initiatives. This includes all programs aimed at reducing emissions, such as boiler replacements, cycle lanes/infrastructure, EV charging, energy efficiency retrofits, and tree planting. The purpose is public interest transparency on taxpayer costs.

For financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25 (to date):

1. How many directly employed staff spend 3 or more days per week (0.6 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)) on implementing the Climate Action Plan for your local authority or other equivalent climate change projects? Please provide a list of all the roles as well as salary bands. 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.

2. Please provide total expenditure on net zero/carbon reduction programs, broken down by main categories (for example, building retrofits/boilers, transport/cycle lanes, renewables/EV, and so on).

3. For each category, please provide the amount from central government grants/funds (for example, PSDS, Green Heat Network Fund) and the amount from local council tax/reserves/borrowing.

4. Please provide the overall total net cost to local taxpayers (after grants). Please provide in spreadsheet/table format (with columns for FY, category, grant amount, local amount, total), or links to published plans/reports. Aggregates only, no personal/contractor details.

If costs exceed limits (s.12), prioritize Questions 1-3 for 2024/25 and advise refinements. A response within 20 working days would be appreciated.

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Response

During the specified time period, there was no climate officer employed by the council and no specific carbon reduction programmes running.

No grants for carbon reduction were obtained, and no capital expenditure made.