The figure, which is the most recent projection of council spending on waste services, comes in guidance on charges for waste services published by the public spending body.
And, the data also suggests that overall, local authorities recovered around 16% of the cost of services from fees, charges and income. According to the data, waste collection authorities spent a total of £1.45 billion throughout 2013/14, recovering £419 million.
Charges
The CIPFA guidance, which was published in July, outlines where charges can be applied by local authorities for waste collection and disposal, including bins, bulky items, green waste and compulsory recycling.
Explaining government policy on charging, CIPFA states: “UK legislation does not generally allow local authorities to charge for collection and disposal of domestic waste,” but adds that there are classes of household waste “for which a charge may be made.”
| Expenditure and income of waste management authorities 2013/14 | |||
| WCAs (England only) | WDAs (England only) | Combined (England and Wales) | |
| £000s | £000s | £000s | |
| Total expenditure | 1,454,098 | 1,407,114 | 2,389,878 |
| Total income | 419,505 | 169,315 | 380,773 |
| Income as a % of expenditure | 28.8% | 12.0% | 15.9% |
Source: CIPFA Waste Collection and Disposal Statistics 2013/14 Actuals
| Waste collection and disposal services income, 2013/14 | |||
| Sales, fees and charges | Other income | Total | |
| £000s | £000s | £000s | |
| WCAs | |||
| Street cleansing | 8,563 | 29,617 | 38,180 |
| Waste collection | 65,237 | 61,473 | 126,709 |
| Waste disposal | 7,258 | 4,903 | 12,161 |
| Trade waste | 73,888 | 5,186 | 79,074 |
| Recycling | 83,870 | 75,555 | 161,426 |
| Waste minimisation | 456 | 1,499 | 1,955 |
| WDAs | |||
| Street cleansing | – | – | |
| Waste collection | – | – | |
| Waste disposal | 87,035 | 45,561 | 132,596 |
| Trade waste | 22,778 | 536 | 23,314 |
| Recycling | 6,721 | 6,162 | 12,883 |
| Waste minimisation | 288 | 235 | 522 |
| Combined WCDAs | |||
| Street cleansing | 8,453 | 47,486 | 55,938 |
| Waste collection | 26,635 | 61,596 | 88,233 |
| Waste disposal | 40,176 | 42,024 | 82,199 |
| Trade waste | 62,344 | 7,270 | 69,613 |
| Recycling | 26,029 | 10,449 | 36,479 |
| Waste minimisation | 464 | 432 | 897 |
Source: CIPFA Waste Collection and Disposal Statistics 2013/14 Actuals
Guidance
And, CIPFA concludes that effective public education, both before and during the course of introducing any new charging schemes is “a prerequisite of success, as is strong political support.”
Charges for trade waste collection by local authorities is also covered in the guidance.
Commenting on the requirement for local authorities to recover the cost of trade waste disposal under Section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 CIPFA notes: “In determining their charges for trade waste, collection authorities must seek to recover the reasonable cost of collection and disposal unless it is considered inappropriate to do so.
“The requirement to make reasonable charges indicates that authorities ought to take the whole cost of providing the service, including an appropriate level of administration charges in addition to labour and transport costs, into consideration when fixing charges.”
CIPFA
CIPFA is one of the leading professional accountancy bodies in the UK, specialising in public services. The organisation also provides advisory services, information and training and consultancy services to the public sector.
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