Environmental sustainability performance and planning (FOI)

Request

I am writing to you in order to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

I should like to request the following information relating to your local authority’s environmental sustainability performance and planning:

A
Excluding EPC ratings, does your local authority measure carbon emissions due to energy use in relation to your built assets (e.g. council owned housing property, council owned facilities, council owned offices and other council owned buildings) ? Yes / No / Partially / Don’t know

B
What was the annual carbon footprint (in CO2) of your council’s HQ building in 2018?

C
Does your local authority have a carbon emissions reduction plan in place, for energy use related to your built assets? Yes / No / Don’t know

D
With the UK Government having signed legislation to commit the UK to a legally binding target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, is your local authority already planning towards ‘net zero carbon’ operation by 2050? Yes / Partially / No / Don’t know

Response

A
The Government of Jersey (GOJ) is not a UK local authority.

The EPC ratings system does not apply in Jersey, however the GOJ measures carbon emissions due to energy use in relation to some of its built assets.  

The information you have requested is exempt under Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 as the information is available within the Annual Report and Accounts. These are accessible on www.gov.je  and the 2018 Accounts are linked below. The Sustainability Report is located in Section 1.5, p117.

Annual report and accounts 2018

B
There is no Council HQ in Jersey.

C
The requested information is exempt under Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 as the GOJ’s Energy Plan can be found on www.gov.je using the following link:

Pathway 2050: An Energy Plan for Jersey

D
Jersey is not subject to this legal commitment. 

Article applied

Article 23 Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.
(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.