A single fund for London is the right solution, enabling London to invest in the infrastructure it needs as a city. This is unlikely to happen if the fund is divided up.
Joan Ruddock
Defra will merge the funding allocations of existing grant programmes for the London boroughs into a single pot, to give the funds a more strategic approach to the capital's needs.
The new London Waste and Recycling Board will manage the fund, which will see £22.8 million available for 2008/09 and in 2009/10, then £14.4 million in 2010/11.
Minister Joan Ruddock said: “London is in a unique position as the only metropolitan region in the country, and this needs to be recognised in the way it deals with its waste. I believe that a single fund for London is the right solution, enabling London to invest in the infrastructure it needs as a city. This is unlikely to happen if the fund is divided up.”
Recycling in London is now at 23%, but still “well behind the national average”, Mrs Ruddock said.
The new funding – from Defra's Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant and London's share of the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant – is expected to include “action on waste minimisation, increasing recycling, and catalysing investment in infrastructure”, Defra said.
Board
The Board that will oversee the fund is expected to be become operational early in the financial year 2008/09, once its powers have been confirmed by Parliament. It will be made up of four borough and three non-borough representatives, and the government is inviting borough umbrella group London Councils to appoint the chair.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has disowned the Board, which was created partly in response to his concerns about a lack of strategic direction for waste management in the capital. He was offered a role chairing the Board, but decided not to become involved (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mrs Ruddock said: “A Board of four Borough representatives and three non-Borough representatives is small enough to take effective decisions and large enough to allow a range of interests to be represented. I recognise that getting the mix right will be a challenge, but it's important that the Board serves the interests of London as a whole, not those of individual Boroughs.”
Liz Meek, regional director of the Government Office for London said: “This is a real opportunity for London to improve its performance on waste management and recycling. It will drive much-needed action on the ground to provide facilities to treat waste in modern, environmentally friendly ways.”
Defra said there will be a short consultation early in 2008 on details of the order needed to bring the powers into effect, after which the Order will be laid in the House of Commons to ensure the Board can become operational early in the financial year 2008/09.
Councils
The announcement of the new fund coincided with the boroughs finding out that they now face a smaller increase in their central services grants from the government than other comparable regions in England.
London Councils had called the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review a “devastating announcement” for the capital.
The organisation has welcomed the £60 million infrastructure fund, but remains “gravely disappointed” that the London Mayor is not on board.
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