A statement from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, following yesterday's public spending review, said: “Decisions on both additional DEFRA and local authority expenditure will be taken once the PIU study has concluded.”
The extra resources for waste management allocated in the review are increases in local government spending in general, and not money specifically earmarked for waste.
There are thought to be discussions in progress between the Treasury and the PIU on how much money could be available, and the scope of the PIU's recommendations are likely to be influenced by this.
Chancellor Gordon Brown said in yesterday's review that will be an increase of 10.6% over the three years to 2005/06 in local government spending on the environment, protective and cultural services. This category includes recycling, waste management and associated work.
The amount allocated is set to rise in stages from 8.96 billion this year to 10.02 billion in 2005/06.
Councils are expected to spend around 1.5 billion this year on waste management.
Defra has been given a public service target by the government to promote sustainable development.
A Treasury statement said: “A key element in delivering a sustainable future for the UK is the management and recycling of waste.
“In this review, the Government is making provision for local authorities to address the long-term challenge of municipal waste growth and the shift away from landfill disposal, and to meet the shorter-term challenges of fridge disposal and reform of hazardous waste legislation.”
Step change
The extra money already announced for councils, together with decisions to come after the unit reports, “will deliver a step change in performance”, the Treasury claimed.
It said this would be sufficient to deliver the target of 25% recycling and composting of household waste by 2005/06 and that by 2010 the UK would cut levels of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill by 40%.
Councils have welcomed the extra cash, but are wary of being tied to government targets that inhibit local flexibility, and of the threat of detailed inspection and intervention from Whitehall in the event of poor performance.
Local Government Association chair Sir Jeremy Beecham said: “We will seek further clarity as to how much this extra investment is ring-fenced. Local authorities have a crucial role to play in delivering improvements to essential public services, however, it is important that they have the freedom and flexibility to employ resources in a way that reflects their local circumstances.
“We support the Chancellor's emphasis on local authorities and other service providers performing well. Support from the government to help local authorities pursue their own improvement agenda is essential rather than a heavy-handed approach from Whitehall.”
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