The amount of time councils have to spend submitting waste figures to the Environment Agency's WasteDataFlow database is “disturbing” and the system should be reviewed, according to the leader of Surrey county council.
Writing in response to a call made last month by the department of communities and local government (CLG) for councils to suggest ways in which red tape and bureaucracy could be reduced, Dr Andrew Povey said “swift action” was needed on the issue, and singled out the waste data system for particular attention.
Each waste authority has to complete an online quarterly return to the Environment Agency via the WasteDataFlow system, I am disturbed by the amount of time this takes across the country
Dr Andrew Povey, leader, Surrey county council
“Each waste authority has to complete an online quarterly return to the Environment Agency via the WasteDataFlow system, I am disturbed by the amount of time this takes across the country,” he said, in a letter sent to communities minister Grant Shapps last week (August 13).
“A review of the system, aimed at reducing the level of detail required would be helpful.”
The WasteDataFlow web-based system was introduced in 2004 by the department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) to increase the frequency and efficiency of waste data submitted by UK local authorities.
While the system faced initial teething problems (see letsrecycle.com story) and has come in for some criticism over its scrutiny of figures (see letsrecycle.com story), it provides up-to-date figures on recycling and composting performance across the country.
Guidance
In his response, Dr Povey also gave waste legislation as an example of “excessive” and “contradictory” guidance, comparing Section 1 of the Refuse Disposal Amenity Act 1978, which he said meant councils must take any form of waste from a household, with Section 51 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which he said allows councils to exclude household construction waste.
“These acts are contradictory and such contradictions must be eradicated to make our legal position clear,” he said. “Government has committed to repealing outdated laws and I believe this is a prime example where this should happen.”
Elsewhere in his response, Dr Povey called for councils to be given the freedom to choose who audits their services, to “develop the market” for audits and make it “competitively priced” – something which now looks set to happen as part of plans unveiled earlier this week by communities secretary Eric Pickles to abolish the Audit Commission (see letsrecycle.com story).
Responses
Last week, CLG said it had received over 300 responses from local authorities in response for its call for input which CLG-sponsored secondary legislation, statutory guidance or regulation should be scrapped.
Commenting on the responses, Mr Pickles said: “Too much power has been sucked out of communities into Whitehall eroding trust in politics, and sapping responsibility and initiative with stifling bureaucracy.
“It is great to see frontline council workers making localism a reality by helping us cut back red tape, wresting control away from the bureaucrats and reversing the years of creeping state control.”
The department has said that, now the deadline for responding has passed, it will consider every idea sent in and announce which ones it plans to take forward in the autumn.
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