Agenda item

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 December 2015 to February 2016:-

: further details of the changes at senior management level within Rotherham MBC;

: information about the number of tonnes of waste processed and the contract performance in respect of the recycling and diversion of waste materials;

: complaints received about the operation of the waste treatment facility at Bolton Road, Wath upon Dearne, during the period 3rd July, 2015 to 31st January, 2016; it was noted that the majority of complaints relate to the noise of site operations; some complaints are made via the Environment Agency and it was known that several complaints originate from the same local neighbourhood situated near to the site; it was noted that the Environment Agency is to undertake a noise impact assessment of the site;

: the health and safety compliance details and accident report for the period 3rd July, 2015 to 31st January, 2016; details of the RIDDOR reportable incidents will be provided for Elected Members; reference was made to the number of ‘close-call’ incidents and further information about trends per calendar quarter would be provided at the next meeting of this Joint Waste Board;

: Ferrybridge facility – fuel deliveries and electricity export, July 2015 to January 2016; a further explanation was requested about the figure for September 2015, which was comparatively higher than other months;

: Grange Lane facility at Wath upon Dearne;

: Communications – meetings with various community groups and the publication of a media report about the waste treatment facility at Bolton Road, Wath upon Dearne, which had been published in the Rotherham Advertiser newspaper on Friday, 5th February, 2016;

: the continuing review of the insurance policies, to try and reduce the level of premiums;

: the review of the Inter-Authority Agreement, to provide more clarity and remove some historical information, is almost complete and the expectation is that the revised agreement will be finalised and signed during March 2016;

: after completion of a tender exercise, Romaine have been appointed as financial advisers to the BDR Private Finance Initiative;

: glossary of terms relating to waste management and the Joint Waste PFI.

Discussion also took place on the national issue concerning the possible inclusion of incinerator bottom ash from the waste incineration process in the calculation of recycling performance at the waste treatment plant. It was noted that the Chair of the Sheffield City Region (Sir Steve Houghton, Barnsley MBC) has written a letter to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requesting clarification of this issue. The BDR Joint Waste Board suggested that all four of the principal local authorities of South Yorkshire should send a similar letter to the Secretary of State, in order to confirm the County-wide consistent and unified approach to this matter by those local authorities.

Agreed:- (1) That the BDR Manager’s report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That details of the Environment Agency noise impact assessment of the waste treatment facility at Bolton Road, Wath upon Dearne be reported to a future meeting of this Joint Waste Board.

(3) That a report detailing the number of accidents and ‘close-call’ incidents occurring at the waste treatment facilities be submitted to every meeting of the BDR Joint Waste Board.

(4) That the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Joint Waste Manager ensure that the four principal local authorities of South Yorkshire send the letter to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, concerning the waste incineration process and the response of the Secretary of State be reported to a meeting of the BDR Joint Waste Board in due course.