Craft workers

Information Request NPH00-1509/20

I am writing to respond to your request for information received on Monday 9^th November 2020 which has been dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI).

Your request has been given the unique Information Request No. NPH00-1509/20.  Please quote this reference on all correspondence relating to this request.

You have requested the following information. Our response is shown in bold.

1. How many craft (construction trade operative) workers are currently employed by your council?

58 (not including apprentices x4 or improvers x 2). NPH have quoted full establishment figures.

2. How many craft workers in your council are currently employed on the Red Book national agreement?

a. Red Book national agreement

b. Red Book terms and conditional with different pay rates

c. On a hybrid agreement with Green Book rates of pay

d. All on Green Book terms and conditions

e. Any other arrangements – Local Terms and Conditions – 58.

3. Please provide details of rates of pay for craft workers and grades in your council?

4. Does your council engage any private construction contractors to deliver craft work?

5. If so, which companies are engaged? What council contracts are they delivering? And when do these contract(s) expire?

In response to questions 4 and 5, NPH considers these requests as businesses seeking the opportunity  to sell goods or service as commercial requests.

Without clear public interest  NPH considers commercial requests vexatious in line with the Upper Tribunal ruling recently upheld by the Court of appeal.

http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKUT/AAC/2013/440.html

Judge Wikeley indicates in para 35 & 38 that improper use of FOIA [such as no public interest] is a valid consideration to make when considering if a request is vexatious.  Using FOI to gain a commercial advantage or seek opportunity over another can be included within this definition. In addition to the time wasted responding to the request, officers of NPH are taken away from their duties replying to unsolicited contact following the request.

Of course a public body is not always aware of some wider public interests in a particular area in respect of some requests. If you disagree with NPH’s initial assessment of your request please restate the information that you wish to be considered for disclosure and, as there does not appear to be any clear public purpose, why you consider publication through FOI is in the public interest as opposed to a purely commercial purpose.

The disclosure to you of the enclosed information does not give you a right to reproduce or publish such information without the express permission of Northampton Borough Council or any other owners of the copyright therein.  To do so you will need a licence under the ‘Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015’.

If you consider NPH has not provided the information you have requested you have the right to challenge that decision in respect of your information request within 6 months.

Please write to:

Information Access Challenges

Northampton Partnership Homes

The Guildhall

St Giles Square

Northampton

NN1 1DE

Otherwise please email: information@nph.org.uk.  Emails to this address are automatically acknowledged.

If your challenge is not resolved to your complete satisfaction, you will then have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner.

If you feel your request has been handled unfairly you should, in the first instance, complain using NPH’s Customer Feedback form and address it to the department you have been dealing with. NPH’s Complaints procedure (a full copy of which is available by telephoning or writing to NPH’s Data Management Officer) will then be used to try and resolve your complaint.

Yours sincerely,

Santina Chambers

Data Management Officer

Northampton Partnership Homes 

01604 838794 | 0300 330 7003

www.northamptonpartnershiphomes.org.uk