The call came after Secretary of State Peter Hain unveiled his 16 billion “Investment Strategy” last week, a long-term blueprint for public sector funding over the next 10 years. The strategy was released alongside a document outlining a government budget and its priorities for Northern Ireland from 2006 to 2008.
– Peter Hain
Although priorities are on health, education, transport and water, the investment strategy does pledge over 250 million to help councils divert municipal waste from landfill to meet Europe's Landfill Directive.
Launching the strategy, Mr Hain said: “We are clearly signalling Government’s strong commitment to taking forward major programmes of work including education, health, and transport and, of course, those areas that fall within EU compliance. The projects identified cover almost every aspect of life in Northern Ireland.”
Councils in Northern Ireland achieved an average recycling rate for household waste of 18.9% during 2004/05 (see letsrecycle.com story). Under the EU Landfill Directive, the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill in 1995 must be cut by half before 2013.
“Confusing”
But councils labelled the government's announcements as “conflicting and confusing” concerning waste funding promises, complaining that the Strategy document ran counter to some of the statements within the Budget document.
The Strategy stated that 67 million would be made available in the first three years in the form of grants for the district councils “so that they can fully, and speedily, implement their existing waste management strategies”.
And, the government admitted: “A final decision has not yet been reached on whether this new investment will be funded by the Department of Environment or funded directly by district councils.”
Major new investment would most likely be delivered through public-private partnership schemes, the Strategy suggested.
Confidence
Representing 11 of Northern Ireland's districts – including Belfast and Lisburn city councils – and the Arc21 waste partnership warned that “worryingly” confused statements within the Strategy could knock investor confidence in the waste sector.
John Quinn, Arc21 chief executive, pointed out that although the government had pledged 67 million for waste in the first three years, another part of its report claimed 31 million would cover the period.
He went on: “A footnote adds further complications by advising 51 million is investment financed by off-balance sheet Private Finance Initiative projects. This, coming a week after we were assured at a Northern Ireland Local Government Association event that PFI would be unlikely to feature in waste projects.
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Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland |
“Most worryingly we are told in the Budget report that grants will continue to be disbursed to district councils, which contrasts with the Investment Strategy that says a final decision has not been reached on whether this new investment will be funded by the DoE or funded directly by district councils,” Mr Quinn said.
Arc21 representatives will be meeting with DOE officials and representatives from the Strategic Investment Board to clarify matters, he added.
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