Climate-related posts and external consultants: 2022 to 2026

FOI reference: FOI-2026-3518 

You asked

From the last 3 financial year’s budgeted figures (2022/23, 23/24, 24/25): 

1. Climate-related posts 

a) The number of posts if any (headcount, and FTE where recorded) employed with job titles that include any of the following terms: 

Climate; Net Zero; Sustainability; Carbon; Emissions; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Climate Action; Climate Policy; Climate Programme; Climate Project; Climate Data; Climate Reporting; Climate Adaptation; Climate Resilience; Energy and Climate; Sustainable Procurement; Green Finance; Green. 

2. Cost of those posts 

The total employment cost for the posts (if any) identified in Question 1, including salary and employer on-costs (e.g. pension and National Insurance), as recorded. 

3. External consultants 

The total amount paid during the same financial year to external consultants, companies, or contractors where the expenditure is recorded under any cost centre, project code, budget line, or purchase description that includes one or more of the following terms: 

Climate; Net Zero; Sustainability; Carbon; Emissions; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Climate Action; Climate Policy; Climate Programme; Climate Project; Climate Data; Climate Reporting; Climate Adaptation; Climate Resilience; Energy and Climate; Sustainable Procurement; Green Finance; Green. 

This should include, but not be limited to, expenditure coded to professional services, consultancy, advisory services, or specialist support. 

If you do not record expenditure in this way, please provide the closest equivalent recorded information held (for example, totals by relevant cost centre or project). 

If any information requested is not held, please state this clearly. If figures are held only in aggregated form, please provide the aggregated figures. Estimates derived from recorded financial information are acceptable. 

We said

Thank you for your request. 

The associated download spreadsheet details the staff numbers (headcount and FTE) within the UK Statistics Authority, including the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), for posts where the job title includes a term listed in the request. Please note there may be further posts that may feature elements of related work which will have not been picked up in this search as they do not feature the search terms listed in their job title on our position management system. Total employment cost includes salary, employer national insurance contributions and employer pension contributions.  

The associated spreadsheet download also details third-party spend by expense category for transactions containing the terms listed in the request within the cost centre name, project description or purchase description. This is not limited to consultancy or advisory related spend. We have not included transactions where the listed term features as a place or person's name, only transactions where the word features as a term in its general use.