Report criticises Warwickshire for failing to say how it will meet targets

The best value inspection said that the waste management service is “fair”, and will probably improve, but added that the council needs to prioritise recycling as its current recycling rate is 5.5%. The Commission gave the council's waste management service one star because most residents are satisfied with it. But the report also criticised the council for aiming to deliver its waste management service at the lowest possible cost and for not sustaining waste awareness and education programmes.

Warwickshire County council is responsible for managing and disposing 260,000 tonnes of municipal waste produced each year. The majority of waste is disposed under contract to landfill sites operated by private contractors at a cost of 7.3 million in 2000/2001.

Although the service is currently weak inspectors say that it will improve because the council has made recycling a priority. There are nine household waste sites in the county where residents can take their waste to be recycled and the council has recently entered into a 10-year contract for the central composting of green waste. This has led to an increase in the recycling rate from 2.4% in 1998/1999 to 5.5% in 2000/2001.

Tension

A county and district group, the Warwickshire Waste Management Forum, was set up in 1998, to address waste management issues but the report said there was tension between the county and the districts and that the forum was not being utilised effectively. The Commission added that the forum has a key role to play in enabling the council meet targets and said: “The council should use Warwickshire Waste Management Forum to implement the waste management strategy more carefully.”

But the report concluded that the service will probably improve because the council said it will implement the recommendations of an independent survey on the county's household waste sites. Landfill tax credit funding has also been secured to re-launch waste awareness and education initiatives which the inspectors say should help the council to establish targets. And the council is in talks with neighbouring authorities and a household waste strategy is being developed by the Warwickshire authorities which should be completed by the autumn.

Paul Kirby, best value inspection service central region director, said: “The council needs to increase the percentage of waste it recycles to meet government targets and inform local people about recycling. If the recommendations made by the best value inspectors are followed, Warwickshire will be able to offer the local community a competitively priced and quality waste management service.”