Memorandum submitted by the Local Government
Association
INTRODUCTION
1. The Local Government Association (LGA)
welcomes the invitation to submit written evidence to this inquiry.
The LGA represents the interests of all local authorities in England
(and Wales) which have waste collection and waste disposal responsibilities.
It therefore has a considerable interest in the issues raised
by this inquiry.
INITIAL COMMENTS
2. The LGA is submitting, concurrently with
this written evidence, written evidence to the Environmental Audit
Committee (EAC) Inquiry, "Winning the War on Waste?".
As it is understood that the two Committees intend sharing written
evidence, the LGA's introductory remarks in it's the EAC evidence
(concerning the two inquiries and their relation to the Strategy
Unit report—hereafter referred to as "the report")
need not be repeated. The important point to emphasise, however,
is the need for there to be no avoidable delay in initiating the
many "now" actions identified in the Strategy Unit report.
The strategy set out in "Waste Not, Want Not" may be
considering a timeframe up to 2020 in terms of turning around
England's waste performance, but that should not divert attention
from the need to press ahead expeditiously in the short-term,
if progress is to be made to achieving both shorter term and longer
term targets.
THE STRATEGY
UNIT REPORT,
"WASTE NOT,
WANT NOT"
3. The LGA has previously recognised the
limitations of the Waste Strategy 2000. It therefore welcomed
the announcement made at the Waste Summit in November 2001 of
an in-depth review of the strategy, to be undertaken by the then
Performance and Innovation Unit in the Cabinet Office. The Association
has worked assiduously during the course of 2002 to ensure that
the local government perspective has been reflected adequately
in the Strategy Unit's deliberations, leading to publication of
its final report in December 2002. The LGA recognises that the
views of local authorities have been taken properly into account
in this process, and reflected to a considerable degree in the
final report.
4. The LGA will be responding in detail
to the request from the Secretary of State for the Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs for comments on the recommendations in
the report, by the end of January 2003. However, in summary, the
Association welcomes the report as a considered and informed critique,
which endeavours to set out in detail "a different approach
to waste". This approach is predicated on the basis of reversing
the growth in household waste (which continues to undermine local
authority performance against Best Value targets) from 3% to 2%,
setting waste reduction, re-use and recycling at the forefront
of the strategy.
5. The strategy has to be considered ambitious
in its vision, given progress to date and the position from which
the country needs to develop—when compared with many of
its European counterparts—in order to develop a coherent
national sustainable waste management strategy and meet the targets
of the Landfill Directive.
Role of Government
6. For its successful delivery, it will
require a firm commitment from government to translate its many
recommendations into practical, achievable actions. The size of
the task should not be underestimated. Government will have a
pivotal role to play in ensuring the delivery of key elements
in the proposed strategy—changing public perceptions of
"rubbish" as a re-useable/recyclable resource; promoting
greater waste minimisation, giving greater weight to the principle
of producer responsibility; stimulating markets for recyclates;
and providing sufficient funding to underpin delivery of the strategy.
7. An early commitment by the government
to take forward the recommendations in the report and instigate
the necessary actions is hoped for. In this context, the LGA welcomes
the early invitation to meet John Healey MP, Chief Secretary to
the Treasury, who, together with the Secretary of State for EFRA,
will be overseeing a Ministerial group on waste, to develop the
public expenditure programmes and institutional arrangements needed
to implement the report's recommendations, in the period leading
up to the Budget 2003.
8. It is important that the necessary steps
are put in hand for the intended steering and delivery mechanisms
envisaged in the report, principally the Steering Group reporting
to the Secretary of State, and the Delivery Task Force intended
to assist local authorities to prepare sound plans for investing
in waste management infrastructure. The Association is keen to
see the active participation of LGA/local authority representatives
in these processes.
WRAP
9. Other bodies, particularly the Waste
and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)—for which a greatly
expended role is identified by the report—will need to respond
dynamically to the change in direction charted by the Secretary
Unit report. The Association looks forward to developing further
its existing links with WRAP, in order to support improved performance
from local authorities.
LGA and Local Authorities
10. The LGA recognises the need for big
changes in overall local authority performance, if the targets
in the proposed strategy are to be realised. The package of proposals
affecting local authorities envisaged by the report is potentially
capable of delivering a significant movement of waste management
up the waste hierarchy, if other elements, (eg development of
markets) also develop along the lines envisaged. The LGA is keen
to be involved fully in the range of discussions with government
and other bodies such as WRAP, which will be needed to translate
the report's vision into achievable outcomes.
11. In the development of the report's proposals
directly relating to local authorities, the LGA trusts that full
use can be made of its advisers (experts on aspects of waste management
drawn from a range of local authorities) and other local government
waste management officers, both through the auspecies of the proposed
Delivery Task Force, and in the detailed consideration of proposed
implementation issues which will be necessary. A genuine partnership
between central and local government should pay dividends in achieving
delivery of a common agenda to achieve improved waste management
performance. In this context, the general emphasis in the report
of incentivisation in relation to local authority performance,
as opposed to direction backed by sanctions for failure, is welcome.
Funding
12. Increased funding will be axiomatic
if local authorities are to attain the higher recycling and composting
targets proposed in the report. Assumptions about funding must
be realistic—revenue derived from possible future "direct
charging" for household waste collection should not be looked
to in terms of being a significant additional stream of revenue.
Whether from the increased proposed in Landfill Tax, a proportion
of Landfill Tax Credit Scheme monies, or through the SSA or other
mechanisms, significantly greater funding will be needed than
has been available hitherto, if local authorities are to play
the key role which they will need to, in order to translate the
strategy encompassed by "Waste Not, Want Not", into
an achievable reality.
BEST PRACTICE
13. The collection, dissemination and application
of good practice from Europe (and further afield) and within the
UK in areas such as waste minimisation, recycling and composting,
energy recovery through incineration etc is acknowledged to be
an important element in the broader picture of "tackling
the waste problem". The proposal for a Kerbside Task Force
(to advise local authorities on implementation and improvement
of recycling/composting kerbside collections—presumably
on a no-fee basis) is to be welcomed.
14. The LGA and its sister organisation,
the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) clearly have an
important role to play in working with WRAP (in its proposed expanded
role) to develop a range of good practice support for local authorities.
In advance of the Strategy Unit's report, the LGA and the IDeA,
have been developing proposals for enhanced support for local
authorities, including a "waste good practice" website,
and "peer support" assistance for local authorities
which might usefully learn from high-performing authorities. These
proposals are now being taken forward in conjunction with DEFRA
and WRAP.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
15. The recommendations in the report for
promoting new technologies are supported as an important element
in a strategy which is founded on achieving a substantial move
away from landfill in the period between now and 2020, without
the emphasis to be found in many European countries (eg Netherlands)
on incineration. Capitalising on the range of emerging alternative
technologies for handling residual waste will have an increasingly
important role to play. The government will need to ensure that
the right economic environment exists which provides adequate
incentives for the development and deployment of new technologies.
The report's proposals for pilots for more innovative waste management
practices, to be taken forward by DEFRA/DTI in partnership with
industry and local authorities, are therefore to be welcomed.
Local Government Association
January 2003
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