Dorset councils table Waste Partnership plans

Dorset's seven local authorities are weighing up the possibility of joining together as a county-wide Waste Partnership in an effort to help save up to £2 million per year off their combined waste services bill.

The county council will meet with its six districts and boroughs over the next two months to discuss the potential of establishing a joint body, which would deliver a countywide collection and disposal service, as well as taking waste collections in-house.

The measure is being considered as a means of helping alleviate financial pressures on the seven local authorities at a time of tighter council budgets. In 2010/11, it is anticipated that waste services in the county will cost around £28.5 million, rising to over £30 million in 2015/16.

However, councils claim that under a partnership agreement, they could save up to £2 million across all the authorities by 2016/17 by moving all to a standard recycling and refuse service. And, councils would still save £1 million per year by 2015/16 if they continued to operate their existing individual services.

The reduction in service costs would come at a time when the councils are all aiming to achieving a 60% waste recycling target, as agreed under their 25-year joint waste management plan in July 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).

Councillor Hilary Cox, chair of the waste management liaison panel, said: “All local authorities are facing tough financial decisions, but in Dorset we are able to improve our waste services by joining together and offering better services in a more efficient way. The Dorset Waste Partnership will use taxpayers' money to invest in improved recycling and waste services at lower cost.”

Service

The specifics of the county-wide service are yet to be revealed, although a Dorset county council document outlining the planned joint body states: “Councils are currently discussing the best approach to recycling that would involve collecting a wide range of materials at kerbside including food waste, paper, glass, cans, plastic bottles, and cardboard.”

In a bid to help foster the development of a countywide collection programme, Defra has issued Dorset county council with £400,000 to help towards the set-up costs. However, the council document states that there would be the option for local authorities to retain their existing service if they so wished.

Under the plans, local authorities with out-sourced contracts would have these amalgamated into the countywide initiative. For example, Purbeck district council, which currently has a waste collection contract with waste management firm SITA UK, would transfer operations to Dorset county council, as host authority, in April 2011.

Merger

Meetings are set to be held in October and November, with members from each of the seven councils separately considering the business case to enter the Waste Partnership.

And, in documents outlining the benefits of the joint body, Dorset county council points to the efforts of neighbour Somerset, which has saved £1.5 million-a-year since forming the Somerset Waste Partnership in October 2007.

If the proposal was to be approved, it is recommended in the business case that waste and cleansing staff from Christchurch borough council and East Dorset, North Dorset and Purbeck district councils would transfer to the host authority – Dorset county council – in April 2011.

The remaining members – West Dorset district council and Weymouth and Portland borough council – would join in April 2013. This would give these councils the opportunity to focus on the planned merger of their office structures and hosting of the sailing events in the region as part of the 2012 Olympics.