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More efficient and sustainable waste management service

UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a summary of responses to its recent consultation on draft Regulations and draft Guidance for establishing Joint Waste Authorities (JWAs) in England.

The option of JWAs was sought by local authorities to help deliver a more efficient and sustainable waste management service and to provide a legal framework for joint waste working arrangements. The consultation was launched in March 2008 and closed in June. Eighty-three responses were received, from a range of local Government and waste stakeholders.

In light of comments, Defra will consider expanding some areas of the draft guidance to provide more detail about the information that should be included in a proposal for a JWA.

Key issues raised by respondents include:

• General support for the option of partnership working offered by JWA, and for the ground covered by the draft Regulations and draft guidance;
• Majority support for flexibility for the constituent authorities in JWAs to determine their own voting arrangements, in line with normal practice for local authorities, including on which issues unanimity voting should apply. Defra will reflect in the final version of the guidance that it is for constituent authorities in a JWA to agree their own voting procedures. The guidance will also suggest a range of issues for which unanimous voting may be appropriate;
• The need for flexibility after JWAs have been established, so for example an existing JWA will be able to take on additional waste collection, disposal, or street cleansing functions or remove any such functions. The draft guidance will be clarified to explain that this is possible subject to the agreement of all relevant local authorities, suitable to local consultation, and a clear demonstration of the benefits that would arise;
• Support for a requirement that proposals for collection-only JWAs in two-tier areas must justify why the involvement of the Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) is not appropriate, and indicate what engagement of the WDA there has been. The draft Regulations will be amended to ensure that this is the case; and
• In line with views received, the draft Regulations will be amended to require that either a letter of political endorsement from all the authorities party to a JWA or a minute of resolution from each authorities’ decision making body is included with any proposal.

The Government will now review the draft guidance and amend it where appropriate. It is intended that the Regulations will come into force in the autumn. The final guidance will be published at the same time.

Source: Defra

Autor: - jk -