London mayor rejects Recycling Board

However, London Councils have criticised the decision and the government's refusal to intervene as something which will “set back” recycling in the capital – by forcing local authorities to tackle it alone.

The boroughs need to act now to ramp up their efforts to recycle more 

 
Ken Livingstone, London mayor

The Waste and Recycling board, which is to be developed under the Greater London Authority Bill (see letsrecycle.com story) is intended to give strategic direction to waste management in London and will distributed a £19 million fund.

Consisting of 11 representatives from London boroughs, the Greater London Authority, businesses and the wider community, it was announced by Defra in place of Ken Livingstone's hopes for single London waste Authority.

Originally, the mayor was intended to chair the board and to contribute £6 million from the GLA.

However, speaking today, a spokeswoman for Greater London Authority confirmed that Mr Livingstone would not be taking part, because it had no real statutory power over local authorities -and the funds would be spent on projects within the private sector.

She explained: “The Mayor has decided not to participate in the London Waste and Recycling board as it does not pose a solution to London's waste issues.

“The Mayor is instead looking to work with the commercial sector to deliver the vital waste infrastructure London needs and London's first plastic recycling plant in partnership with the private sector is already under construction. What we actually need are fewer boards debating the problem and more powers to act,” the Mayor's spokeswoman added.

Blow

Responding to the Mayor's withdrawal, London Councils expressed regret at the decision – which the borough's umbrella body saw as a blow to their recycling efforts.

Councillor Merrick Cockell, Chairman of London Councils, said: “London desperately needs a co-ordinated effort to manage the capital's waste. The government's proposed Waste and Recycling Board would deliver this, giving us a strategic overview, without losing the local knowledge and understanding the boroughs can bring to help drive up recycling in the capital.

“The Mayor's decision to work alone will make tackling the twin challenges of increasing recycling and reducing waste sent to landfill even harder,” he added.

Cllr Cockell explained that in a third reading of the Greater London Authority Bill in the Lords on Tuesday, government minister Lord Rooker had also made it clear that the government would not do anything to compel the Mayor to participate – with Lord Rooker claiming “we would rather the Mayor chaired it, but if he chooses not to do so, that is his decision.”

Cllr Cockell said: “The government appears to be condoning this behaviour, which suggests that it is only the boroughs that remain committed to improving recycling in the capital. But we can't do this alone – we need both the government and the Mayor to work with us.

“If the government and Mayor really are committed to improving recycling in the capital, I would urge them to renew their support for the Waste and Recycling Board. Otherwise the Mayor's decision – and the government's refusal to act – could be something that we, and London's future generations, come to regret,” he claimed.

Targets

The debate over the Waste and Recycling Board came as new independent report into the mayor's alternations to the London Plan was published – endorsing new recycling targets for the capital.

This means that by 2020, London should manage 85% if the waste it creates, with individual targets for each borough. Targets for London to manage 70% of its commercial waste and 45% of its household waste were also approved.

The report states “If London is to catch up with the remainder of the country, it is necessary for them to move faster than anyone else.”

Mr Livingstone welcomed the news, saying: “This independent panel has supported my view that as a world city we need build the facilities that we need to manage the waste that we are creating.

“Why should the surrounding areas of London keep disposing of our rubbish? We are now seeing the rapid emergence of new technologies that can produce renewable energy, including hydrogen from our rubbish and so help to reduce London's contribution to climate change. The boroughs need to act now to ramp up their efforts to recycle more and to build more waste and reprocessing sites to generate renewable energy,” he added.