The event, 'Is there a need for Joint Waste Authorities?', which was held yesterday (September 23) in Manchester by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) saw participants take issue with the scope of the plans, which give two or more councils the ability to form a statutory Joint Waste Authority (JWA).
My overall position is that it may be appropriate for some smaller authorities to gain the advantages of being in a joint waste authority
Cllr Neil Swannick, chair of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
In particular, speakers expressed their concern that the JWA proposals – which were first unveiled in January 2007 (see letsrecycle.com story) – could cause problems in cases when all collection services, either alongside or separately from disposal services, were handed over to a JWA.
Councillor Neil Swannick, chair of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, which is one of six joint waste disposal authorities in England, said: “Collection is a frontline service; my worry with the joint waste authority concept is not the strategic value of it but the operational requirement of it.”
He added: “Political accountability at the moment for collection is at a local level, put it in another tier and that accountability is, to some extent, lost.”
Cllr Swannick highlighted the results of the government consultation on draft regulations for JWAs, which ended in June 2008, and in particular, the importance attached to local accountability (see letsrecycle.com story), as proof that 'no individual district is going to easily give up its responsibility for collection”.
His views were echoed by Martin Bramah, assistant chief executive of APSE, who backed JWAs as an option for waste disposal, but was less positive about their functionality for collection services.
Disposal
“We can see the logic of local authorities coming together, particularly to address the rising cost of waste disposal and especially landfill and incineration,” he said.
“Our concern is about the local collection. In our view, those services should be delivered at a local level. There's a clear link with collection, education and waste minimisation and recycling being as at local a level as possible,” he added.
Under Defra's proposals, any group of councils which only looks to deal with collection services in its proposal for a JWA must explain why are not looking to bring disposal functions within the authority as well.
Two-tier
Despite their concerns, speakers at the event did acknowledge that there could be a place for JWAs, in particular within two-tier areas – which Defra has already emphasised as the target audience for the proposals.
Andrew Uprichard, head of local government for Leeds-based environmental law specialists Walker Morris, told the event: “It produces opportunities for shire counties, and also in areas where you have unitary councils neighbouring shires and they might want to work together on collection.”
And, Cllr Swannick explained that “my overall position is that it may be appropriate for some smaller authorities to gain the advantages of being in a joint waste authority.
“I don't think it's one of our priorities in Manchester to move towards becoming a JWA,” he added.
The concept of councils working together for both collection and disposal functions did win support from Martin Joyce, a director of waste management company Enterprise plc.
Pointing towards the current disparity between the number of waste disposal authorities (WDAs) and waste collection authorities (WCAs), he said: ” We believe in the private sector that if we can get the waste disposal authority and the waste collection authority we can add value to frontline services.
He added that, with the current situation, “as professionals in the industry it can be a bit complicated to understand, and for the public as well”.
And, he explained: “We would like to see an integrated waste management system from collection, via disposal and recycling, through to reuse.”
Guidance
However, the event also saw questions asked over whether the nature of the guidance the government has so far offered for councils that could look to form a JWA when formal applications are invited, which is expected to happen this autumn.
Cllr Swannick said: “It's tackling the problem piecemeal, it doesn't seem to have an overall view, its saying over to you guys.”
Referring in particular to there being no indication of the ideal number of councils that should look to form a JWA, and leaving voting procedures up to member councils, he added: “It seems to be an abdication of responsibility, the government doesn't have a joined-up view of how it should work.”
And, Mr Uprichard asked whether there was any need for the proposals to be introduced at all.
“I'm unconvinced as to what the real purpose of JWAs is, it's come quite late in the circle because people are doing these things anyway, working together,” he said.
He added: “The local authority and private sector opinions I've heard are that they don't see a need for JWAs.”
Register for free to comment