In the summary of responses released yesterday, 62% of respondents said that funds should be spent on more sustainable waste management and 82% recommended keeping the way funds are made available should remain the same.
In April 2002, DEFRA and HM Treasury jointly published a consultation on possible changes to the LTCS. This paper sought views on the future priorities for funding from the scheme and set out alternative design options.
On the subject of priorities of funding allocation, 28% of the 700 respondents said “improving the environment in the vicinity of landfill sites” was their first priority. The remaining 10% proposed funds should be used to achieve other Government objectives, such as biodiversity and land remediation.
While 82% preferred that the funding mechanism should remain a private sector scheme, as it is now, or with modifications, just nine per cent thought that there should be a partly or wholly public spending scheme. Another nine per cent did not specify the type of scheme preferred.
Under the LTCS at the moment, landfill site operators may allocate up to 20% of their landfill tax liability for the year to fund approved environmental projects. These projects are administered through environmental bodies approved by private sector regulator ENTRUST.
A decision on the future of the LTCS could be made by the end of the year. It will be informed by the results of the consultation and also the PIU report produced by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.
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