I would like to request the information below please as an FOI.
1. Which bank does the local authority bank with for the following?
• Your current account(s)
• Managing your financial transactions e.g. Council Tax
• Any savings
• Any cash balances
2. At the last round of tendering for banking services, which banks submitted a bid for your banking services?
3. When is your banking contract up for renewal? What is the duration of your current banking contract?
4. Has your Council declared a climate emergency? If yes, please give the date of the declaration.
5. Does the local authority specifically seek information and advice on ethical and sustainable investment and banking e.g. as part of any Treasury Management consultancy contracts?
6. To minimise the climate-related impact of your banking, do you have any procedures in place to lower your carbon emissions and help avoid funding fossil fuel projects, such as transfer of surplus funds/cash balances from your current account to green or low carbon investment or banking options? If yes, please provide details.
7. Which institutions does the local authority currently have investments with?
8. Are any of these investments in ethical or sustainable funds/deposits, and if yes:
• what funds/deposits are these and on what basis were they selected?
• To what extent do they exclude fossil fuel and arms trade investments?
• What percentage of the local authority’s total investments were placed in ethical/sustainable funds at the end of the 2023 financial year?
9. Please share the counter-parties list of your local authority.