In mid-February, Mr Vanston will start work in his new post of head of waste resources for South Cambridgeshire district council and Cambridge city council.
The two Cambridgeshire authorities have recently joined together on waste management and recycling services with the aim of saving £700,000 per year (see letsrecycle.com story) The merger saw nearly 100 staff employed by Cambridge city council transferred to South Cambridgeshire Waterbeach depot – close to AmeyCespa’s MBT facility where the majority of municipal waste in the county is treated.
Mr Vanston has championed the idea of seeing and treating waste as a resource and has been a supporter of the Resource Association of which the Kent partnership body is a member. He has also been involved with a number of Defra and DCLG waste and resource related groups.
Mr Vanston said: “I have had a terrific decade in Kent working with fantastic councillors and colleagues across all 13 Kent councils. Partnership working has delivered higher performance at better cost to taxpayers. The great news is the KRP has the potential to do so much more. For my successor, the KRP will be an opportunity to make their own mark on how the future looks on behalf of 1.6 million residents generating some 700,000 tonnes of resources a year.”
And, commenting about his new role for South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge, he said the two authorities “are definitely going places. Along with Kent, they are setting a great example in joining-up services in the most challenging of financial climates. It’s my privilege to be asked to join them and lead the new shared service.”
Driving force
Cllr Rory Love, KRP chairman and cabinet member on Shepway district council said, ‘Paul has been a driving force behind the multi-award winning Kent Resource Partnership. He has delivered the ambitions of all of Kent’s councils to make the unique Kent Resource Partnership one of the most respected waste partnerships in the country. Paul will be a huge asset for Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire, but above all, I have no doubt he will remain a fantastic ambassador for public services, and specifically for local government, with all our partners in recycling and waste across many sectors.’
Environment councillors for the pair of authorities, Cllr Mick Martin at South Cambridgeshire and Cllr Peter Roberts at Cambridge City Council said: “We are really excited to have Paul lead the fledgling shared waste service. Paul brings a great deal of experience and strategic knowledge, and we believe he is the right person to help our service evolve over the coming years.
“Combined, Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, represent one of the largest areas of future employment and housing growth in the UK, so it only makes sense for both councils to work together with tested and dynamic public servants, like Paul, at the helm.”
“Every success”
In Kent, Richard Wilson, environmental chief officer at Sevenoaks DC and chair of the KRP Officers Advisory Group said: “We all wish Paul every success in his new role. We feel sure he’ll deliver as effectively in Cambridgeshire as he has for us in Kent. In the meantime, I’m delighted the KRP Members Board unanimously authorised officers to take forward the search for Paul’s successor. As Sevenoaks DC is the host authority for the KRP staff, I’ll be leading the recruitment process and issuing details shortly with a view to interviewing short-listed candidates in the New Year.”
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