Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Matt O’Neill.

The Chair asked for it to be noted that the Board wished to extend their sincere condolences to Paul Hutchinson, BDR Manager, who had recently suffered the loss of his wife.

There were no declarations of interest

To consider the minutes of the previous meeting.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 October 2025, be approved as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

To consider the BDR Managers Report.

At the invitation of the Chair, the Interim BDR Manager (BDR Manager) provided an update relating to the BDR Managers Report, during which the following points of note were highlighted and discussed:

·       The Operational Management Budget Forecast showed a projected underspend of £68,401. If not spent, this underspend would be rolled into the 2026-27 financial year. Delays had been experienced in obtaining information from the contractor relating to outstanding issues and ongoing projects, which meant that planned work was not carried out and would continue into the next financial year. It was also hoped that staffing costs could be better forecasted in the next financial year and the budget would need to cover potential increases in pay and increased consultant fees. It was noted that the BDR budget had not increased since the financial year 2022-23.

·       The forecasted Unitary Charge had been sent to all councils for the 2026-27 financial year. Once the January RPIX figure was confirmed in February, it would be updated and sent again as this was the figure used under the contract. This figure would be confirmed to Members once available.

·       There were no major issues to report on contract delivery. KPI targets were being met. Some delays to waste deliveries at the Manvers site had been experienced before Christmas, due to issues at the Ferrybridge Energy from Waste (EfW) site, which were compounded by equipment issues on site. The Contract Director from Biffa had thanked the councils for their patience over this period in a recent meeting.

·       Due to these issues before Christmas and higher stock levels, landfill figures had increased but were still below the contractually allowed amount.

·       There had been no recent complaints, which was to be expected at this time of year, as fly activity did not usually become an issue on sites until the spring.

·       The insurance for the BDR waste facility had switched to AON as their insurance broker, following the sale to Biffa. AON had reported an increased appetite from insurers to accept more options for PFI arrangements, such as the BDR waste facility, due to the good preventative and control measures in place. The insurance had been placed and confirmed on 24^th December 2025, as required. The Board’s insurance consultant was currently reviewing the policy to ensure that sufficient cover was provided.

·       Delays were still being experienced in obtaining the information from the Contractor for the updates to the Acid Scrubber. It was reported that the deadline set by the Environment Agency of April 2026 would not be met and that service had been promised an update on the current position by mid-February 2026. Once received, the BDR team and its consultants would carry out due diligence and review all material as required, to ensure that it meets the needs of the contract, while minimising financial risk to the Councils.

·       With regard to the completed dilapidations works on the Barnsley Transfer Station (BTS) at Grange Lane, meetings had taken place between Barnsley  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

·       Update on contractor                                            

·       Parent Company Guarantee rejection                   

The sale of Renewi UK Services Ltd to Biffa had been completed and the BDR contract was fully implemented, with all services and systems transferred across. An update on the parental company guarantee was awaited and an SPV meeting was due to take place the following week, which would provide an update.

Councillor Marshall asked whether the BDR Manager was satisfied that contract delivery would be maintained and that staffing levels would remain resilient, in light of the current lack of a parent company guarantee. The BDR Manager confirmed that at a contract level, everything remained the same, and that full due diligence had been carried out on the new arrangements. There would be little change in day-to-day operations, and monthly meetings would take place to monitor performance. The BDR Manager explained that if the parent company guarantor offered was not deemed to be sufficient, the Board could reject it and ask for a better deal, as the current one with Renewi would still be place, and it was in Biffa’s interest to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

To note the Risk Register.

The BDR Manager commented that there was little to update in relation to the Risk Register. Further information from Biffa and new legislation could change some of the entries, but the register was reviewed every two months, with a full review carried out every year before the AGM. The Risk Register had been considered at steering group level recently, so the BDR Manager was confident that it was accurate and comprehensive.

The Chair advised that there were no other items of business requiring the Board’s consideration.

Resolved:- The next meeting of the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Joint Waste Board will be held on Monday 6 July 2026, commencing at 2.00 p.m. in Rotherham Town Hall.