LGA calls for more cash to meet landfill targets

15 November 2006
 
The chancellor was urged to rethink a proposed freeze in local government grant – given the likely doubling in cost of waste management to meet Landfill Directive targets.
The Local Government Association claimed in an early salvo in the battle for securing resources in next July’s Comprehensive Spending Review that councils would not meet the ‘major national challenge’ of reducing the landfilling of biodegradable waste without extra money.
Diverting an increased amount of residual waste away from landfills to more costly methods of disposal, while increasing recycling rates from the 27% achieved in 2005/06 to 40%, would demand a big hike in revenue spend, currently £2.6bn. But the 2006 Budget indicated there would be a real-terms freeze in local government grant from 2008/09.
Officers fear that unless the chancellor changes his mind over the level of public spending and spending commitments for education and health, either waste service efficiencies of 20% will have to be found by 2010/11 or, more likely, other services will be squeezed.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had assumed that revenue spending would need to rise to £4.2bn in a modelling exercise carried out for the National Audit Office on whether or not Landfill Directive targets would be met.
Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of the LGA, said ‘crucial decisions’ had to be made by ministers within the next few months. He said: ‘Government must be honest and decide if it is serious about meeting future costs. If not, local councils and taxpayers need to know, so they can prepare for the consequences.’

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