Agenda item

Further to Minute No. 26 of the meeting of the BDR Joint Waste Board held on 12th December, 2014, the Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Joint Waste Manager gave a presentation to the meeting about the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Waste Strategy 2016 to 2021. The presentation included the following details:-

: All of the four of these principal Councils have individual waste strategies;

: Best practice recommends the review of these strategies every five years;

: The Strategy will outline the priorities that are most important to the residents of these local authority areas;

: The Strategy’s priorities are influenced by external factors:-

•         Political (e.g. new legislation)

•         Financial (e.g. budget restraints)

•         Consultation with residents, local businesses, statutory bodies (e.g. Environment Agency) and with other stakeholders.

: The Waste Strategy is needed:-

•         To provide a clear direction

•         To contribute to the aims and objectives of the Waste Management Plan for England 2013

•         Because the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Council’s current waste strategies would benefit from being reviewed.

: Joint working between the four local authorities will be beneficial because:-

•         All of the authorities are working towards the same overarching strategy;

•         Efficiencies and savings will be made;

•         Best practice - working towards common goals in the future;

•         Waste is a cross-boundary strategic planning matter;

•         Co-ordinated development and use of infrastructure.

Preparation of the Waste Strategy is timely, because:-

•         Previous strategies need to be reviewed

–        Barnsley    2007 - 2030

–        Doncaster  2009 - 2025

–        Rotherham 2005 - 2020

–        Sheffield     2009 - 2020

•         Devolution and the Sheffield City Region.

Key Strategic Priorities (KSP)

•         KSP A – the aim to encourage and inspire children and adults across Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield to make less waste by reducing, re-using and recycling more.

•         KSP B – The four Councils will work together more closely to deliver value for money services.

•         KSP C – the local authorities will work hard to deliver and maintain a dependable and reliable service to all customers and residents.

•         KSP D – the local authorities will continue to explore how technology can be used to improve recycling and waste services.

•         KSP E – the local authorities will be pro-active to influence decision-making on waste at European, national and local level, to drive investment into infrastructure within the Sheffield City Region economy.

Consultation on the key strategic priorities of the waste strategy will take place in June and July 2016. Adoption by the four principal local authorities of South Yorkshire between September and November 2016

Members discussed the following salient issues:-

-          the contents of the consultation documents; it was noted that a report on this matter will be submitted for consideration by each of four principal local authorities of South Yorkshire during April 2016;

-          the importance of close joint working between the four principal local authorities of South Yorkshire, acknowledging that there are differences in the various waste contracts in the individual local authority areas;

-          governance arrangements, the inter-authority agreement (IAA.3) – the potential need for an inter-authority agreement between the four principal local authorities of South Yorkshire and the flexibility required for the operation of waste services within each of those four local authorities’ areas.

Agreed:- That the contents of the presentation about the Waste Strategy 2016 to 2021, as now submitted, be noted and the outcome of the public consultation process about this Strategy be considered at a future meeting of the BDR Joint Waste Board.