Report attached

The JEC received a report advising of the government response to the recent Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry on the implications for local authorities of the Resources and Waste Strategy.

The JEC were advised that some of the Committee’s key findings from the inquiry included:

·         Concerns by reports from local authority representatives that they were  not sufficiently consulted in advance of the publication of the Strategy, particularly around recycling targets, financial implications and the ‘desirability’ of the proposed changes to waste management services.

·         An agreement for the proposal to implement an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme so that producers bear a greater responsibility for the disposal costs of the materials that they introduce into the waste system. The Committee also recommended that the government commits to undertaking a review of funding levels at least every two years, providing top-up funding to local authorities if this becomes necessary.

·         An acknowledgement that despite ‘strong opposition’ from many to the incineration of waste, producing energy-from-waste has a role to play within the waste hierarchy. Consequently, an incineration tax should not be introduced in the short term, as this would simply increase costs for local authorities and council tax payers. However, the Committee considers that the government is right to keep an incineration tax under review, but only insofar as it will encourage local authorities to prioritise long-term investment in the recycling  infrastructure and must not lead to a transfer of waste from incineration to landfill.

The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) provided evidence to the inquiry in  both written and in person at the select committee.

The JEC were advised that the government’s response to the report acknowledged that there is a balance to be struck between local decision making and what is considered necessary to increase the quantity and quality of recycling nationally. However, they disagreed with the Committee’s conclusion that the Strategy has sought to dictate from the centre what is best decided at local level.

Therefore, whilst government highlighted that local decision making is key to effectively implementing their reforms, they also highlighted that in recent decades, various EU Directive have imposed top-down requirements on local authorities and how local waste services are provided. Furthermore, they also emphasised that Parliament has also previously legislated directly to set minimum requirements on household recycling.

Close working with local authorities to implement reforms will continue through Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and government confirmed its commitment to fund any new burdens on local government in line with the New Burdens Doctrine.

The key responses from Government included details on:

·         Consultation

·         Standardisation

·         Food Waste

·         Deposit Return Scheme

·         EPR Funding 

The JEC were advised that it is clear that the full impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will not be known for some time. There will however, be significant challenges that local authorities will continue to face for the foreseeable future in continuing to ensure that key services, such as waste management, can continue to be delivered safely.

The impact of the pandemic on future local authority funding cannot yet be predicted. This includes the impact on the national waste policy direction and the further implementation of the Resources and Waste Strategy proposals, as well as the potential availability of additional funding through the New Burdens Doctrine.

However, STWWMP will seek to fully engage in the forthcoming consultation exercises when they are released by government and ensure that potential local challenges arising for the implementation of the Strategy’s proposals are clearly identified, costed and communicated.