Officials in the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had been keeping quiet about exactly who would be examining applications from local authorities, but in the week before the decision is expected, the Department has finally agreed to release the names to letsrecycle.com.
There are six places on the panel, although one of those places is shared by Andy Moore and Andy Cunningham of the Community Recycling Network (CRN). Mr Moore and Mr Cunningham are joined on the panel by: Chris Davey of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP); Andrew Ainsworth from the Environmental Services Association (ESA); Paul Deakin, a consultant and former chair of LARAC; Paul Frith from the Institute of Wastes Management (IWM); and Jane Gilbert from the Composting Association. The panel is also being supported by civil servants within the Department.
The panel will not be handing out the entire 140 million recycling fund at once – 50 million will be handed out in 2002 and 90 million is for 2003-4. A 21.3 million slice of the fund has been reserved specifically for London, and will be administered by John Duffy of the Greater London Authority.
According to DEFRA's timetable, the judges are supposed to inform hopeful councils at the end of this month whether they have been successful in gaining the 2002-3 portion of the fund, so that money can be distributed in August.
Secrecy
Although local authorities were invited to bid for funds by Environment Minister Michael Meacher back in March, up until now the names of those on the judging panel have remained confidential. During initial inquiries, DEFRA had repeatedly stated the names were “unavailable”.
Although some local authorities are keeping tight-lipped over details of their own applications, there was some puzzlement at the veil of secrecy drawn around the process. It was thought that those on the panel – or within the Department – were concerned that if their names were revealed, they might come under undue pressure – or even open them to some kind of incentives offered by overly ambitious applicants.
But a source inside one of the local authorities currently bidding for a portion of the funds said: “We're a local authority – what can we give them? I mean… I can offer them some compost if they like, but that's about it.”
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