Defra quizzed over future funding of WRAPs work

An MP has called for the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to be run differently to encourage private ahead of public funding, as Defra confirmed it plans to further reduce the number of quangos it supports in the autumn.

Tony Baldry, the Conservative member of parliament for North Oxfordshire, which includes WRAP's Banbury headquarters within its boundaries, made the call in a House of Commons debate last week (September 9).

In the same debate, environment secretary Caroline Spelman confirmed that further announcements on a reduction in the number of Defra-supervised quangos would be made in the autumn, with “constructive” discussions already having taken place involving the Environment Agency and Natural England.

Defra's budget is expected to be cut by around 25% when the government's autumn spending review is announced on October 20 (see letsrecycle.com story), and Mrs Spelman said last week that, with the government aiming to increase accountability and reduce costs in public bodies, “I have been looking closely to ensure that we deliver our priorities in the most efficient and effective way, and to enhance the role of the big society”.

“I announced reductions in the number of bodies before the recess and will make further announcements this autumn,” she added.

WRAP

With Defra supplying the majority of WRAP's funding, the body has already acknowledged that it faces a budget cut to help the department meet its £162 million spending reduction target for the current financial year, focusing on fewer priorities and more partnership working (see letsrecycle.com story).

And, Mr Baldry last week called for change in how the body is run to make it easier for public funding to be replaced with private investment.

He said: “WRAP…does good work in developing markets for recyclable materials, but do my ministerial colleagues not feel that it is time to change its governance rules to make it easier for it to lever in, and work in partnership with, the private sector, so that over time private investment and funding can replace public funding?”

Mr Benyon revealed that recycling minister Lord Henley had already met with WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin and other representatives of the body on “several occasions”. He also agreed with Mr Baldry that “there is a great deal of opportunity for further funding for this whole area”.

He added that, after the “quick wins” involving larger companies such as Sainsbury's work on food waste, “we must now move on to the difficult stage of dealing with small and medium-sized companies, which will be a priority for the future”.

Environment Agency

In terms of the Environment Agency, the Conservative MP for North West Leicestershire, Andrew Bridgen, asked whether “considerable savings and efficiencies” could be obtained from merging the regulator with Natural England – the body charged with protecting England's natural environment.

While she stressed that final announcement would not be made until the autumn, Mrs Spelman said: “We have already had constructive discussions with Natural England and the Environment Agency, which has been very helpful in our quest for savings that will not involve compromising the front line.

“Reducing duplication between those organisations will obviously be one way of achieving that,” she added.

In July 2010, it emerged that the Environment Agency was consulting on plans to merge two of its eight regions – Thames and Southern – into a single ‘South East England' region, in a move which insiders linked to the government's cost-cutting agenda (see letsrecycle.com story).