Agenda item

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 MBC, the BDR team and Biffa, and a baseline condition survey was due to be agreed within the next few months. Once this survey had been completed, a deed of variation to the BTS contract would be drafted by legal teams to agree on the baseline and condition of the facility moving forwards, until the contract hand-back date in 2040.

·       The breakdown of Health & Safety figures against previous years, which had been requested by Councillor Marshall at the last meeting, had been provided within the Report.

·       The Report set out details of the work done this year by the Community Education Liaison Officer (CELO). There was a current underspend on the 2025-26 budget of £100,000 (excluding forecasted works that were subject to change). The BDR Manager confirmed that service would engage with the CELO team to explore ways in which this money could be spent and asked for this to be cascaded down by each Member.

The Chair welcomed the update on the work of the CELO and was pleased to see the constructive progress made on engagement. It was suggested that the CELO be invited to the next meeting.

Paul Castle, Service Director for Environment & Transport at Barnsley MBC, commented on the recent work done by the service with Biffa on the safe disposal of vapes, and suggested that Members could receive a more detailed update on this at the next meeting. It was agreed that this item should be added to the agenda of the next BDR meeting.

The Chair thanked the BDR Manager for the updates contained within the BDR Managers Report.