Agenda and minutes

Resolved:-  That Councillor Lamb of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council be appointed Chair of the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Joint Waste Board for the 2020/21 Municipal Year.

(Councillor Lamb in the Chair)

Resolved:-  That Councillor McGuinness of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council be appointed Vice-Chair of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Joint Waste Board for the 2020/21 Municipal Year.

There were no Declarations of Interest made at the meeting.

Agenda Item No. 9 has an exempt appendix. Therefore, if necessary when considering that item, the Chair will move the following resolution:-

That under Section 100(A) 4 of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12(A) of such Act indicated, as now amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.

Resolved:-  That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the Agenda Item 9 on the grounds that an  appendix of the report involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12(A) of such Act indicated, as now amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the previous meeting be approved as a correct record.

Arising from Minute No. 45 (webcasting of meetings), it was noted that the meeting was being recorded and would be uploaded to the Council’s website.

-          Authorised Representatives

-          Terms of Reference

-          IAA Delegations Report

The Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Joint Waste Manager submitted a report stating that one of the contractual documents entered into between the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Local Authorities at financial close of the BDR Waste PFI project was an Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA). This IAA creates the Joint Waste Board (“JWB”) as a joint committee pursuant to Section 101(5) of the Local Government Act 1972, which is established as part of the joint working arrangements between the Local Authorities for the management and administration of what are termed Relevant Contracts under the IAA. At the date of today’s meeting, the BDR Waste PFI Contract is the only Relevant Contract to which the IAA applies and is referred to as the “Principal Contract”.

The submitted report detailed how the functions of this Joint Waste Board will be delegated down to the BDR Steering Committee and the BDR Manager in order to deal more efficiently with the day-to-day decisions that will be required under the Principal Contract. All decisions of the JWB, BDR Steering Committee and the BDR Manager will be made in accordance with the provisions of the prevailing Inter-Authority Agreement.

Resolved:-  (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the Joint Waste Board notes that:-

(a) with the exception of the decisions reserved to the Local Authorities for a unanimous decision under the Inter-Authority Agreement, all other decisions in respect of the Principal Contract are delegated by the Joint Waste Board to the Authorised BDR Steering Committee Member;

(b) the Authorised BDR Steering Committee Member may elect to delegate certain decisions to the BDR Manager;

(c) the BDR Manager may delegate any decisions delegated to them to a member of the Joint Waste Team (if the right to delegate is granted by the Authorised BDR Steering Committee Member); and

(d) Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s representative on the BDR Steering Committee (Tom Smith, Assistant Director Community Safety and Street Scene) will be the Authorised BDR Steering Committee Member for 2020/21.

-               Governance

-               Contract Delivery

-               Legal

-               Financial

-               Communications

-               Resources

-               Glossary of Terms

The Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Joint Waste Manager submitted a report which highlighted and updated the following issues relating to the Joint Waste Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for the period April 2019 to March 2020:-

-          Resources

-          BDR Liaison Committee Meeting

-          BDR Steering Committee

-          South Yorkshire Leaders’ Meeting

-          Operating Contractor

-          Contract Delivery

-          Tonnage Tracker

-          Complaints

-          Report Environmental

-          Fire Protection Improvements

-          Bio-Filter Improvements/Replacement

-          Acid Scrubber

-          Ferrybridge

-          Grange Lane – Barnsley Transfer Station

-          Upgrade works

-          Health and Safety

-          Legal

-          Operational Management Budget Forecast 2020-21

-          Communications and Community

-          Community Liaison Group

-          Resources

-          Joint Working and BDR Support

Resolved:-  That the report be noted.

Verbal updates were provided on the following issues:-

Flies

-        Weekly work took place on tracking fly numbers to ascertain if there was any significant increase/comparison with previous years

-        A low level of complaints had been received in the early part of the year – 3 in April and 5 in the early part of May – but following a social media campaign during 26^th May and 6^th June 73 complaints were received.  However, a lot of those complaints were received from locations 2-3 kms away from the plant and areas that would not receive complaints from normally

-        Levels had reduced since with 10 complaints received last week when the weather had been particularly hot.  An analysis had been undertaken to gain an understanding of the issues and some actions put in place.  These included:-

·       Significant reduction in the volume of third party waste accepted at site.

·       Barnsley transfer station was being used as a buffer to reduce the peaks on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the 2 busiest days.  This was having an improved level of control and also allowed clearing of the reception pits entirely of waste more frequently (3-4 times a week) 

·       The shredder pit was also cleared before any new waste was shredded. 

-        Pesticide treatments had been maintained and the plant worked closely with its pesticide contractor.

Noise

-        There were no significant issues since the rectification works carried out 3 years ago

Odour

-        Replacement of the biofilter with compost oversize had improved the situation significantly

-        Biofilter 2 would be replaced with the same media in the not too distant future

-        The Environment Agency monitored the situation

-        5 complaints had been received but since the bio filter works were completed in January, 2020, the levels had decreased

Visits

-        Due to the Covid-19 situation, the community educational liaison activities were being carried out as far as possible via social media

-        The funding opportunities were still available with an award recently having been made

-        Risk assessments were being carried out to determine what activity could be carried out

Resolved:-  That the updates be noted.

Consideration was given to the report which set out in detail the risks associated with the delivery of the BDR PFI Waste Facility contractual obligations now the facility was operational. The risks identified in the register were considered by the BDR Steering Committee every 8 weeks.

The current Risk Register contained 17 risks with one new risk proposed for inclusion  - pandemic (Coronavirus). 

Resolved:-  (1)  That the updated Risk Register be received and the contents noted.

(2)  That any further risks be identified that require deletion or addition to risk register. 

It was noted that there was no alignment across the 3 authorities on the issue of clinical waste collection.

Barnsley did not collect clinical waste; Rotherham did collect it and received a financial contribution from the Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group.

A report had been prepared for Doncaster’s Health and Wellbeing Board and the Better Care Fund proposing that Doncaster’s Clinical Commissioning Group continue to fund the collection of sharps for the current financial year and joint fund the service with the Council for 2021/22.    Nothing had changed in relation to kerbside clinical waste collection. 

Resolved:-  That the report be noted.

Monday,       28^th September, 2020

                     11^th November

                     12^th April, 20201

All commencing at 9.30 a.m.

Resolved:-  That meetings be held during the 2020/21 Municipal Year as follows:-

Monday,         28^th September, 2020

                        11^th November

                        12^th April, 2021

All commencing at 9.30 a.m.