The purpose of this report is to propose changes to the level of subsidy in kind provided by the Council in respect of waste disposal at its Waste Transfer Stations and Household Recycling Centres by Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector organisations, Housing Associations and schools.
Currently, HRC Discretionary Passes are provided on application for these organisations to gain free and unlimited access to the Council’s Household Recycling Centres (HRC). Notably, a further 8 VCSE organisations have been permitted to dispose of their residual waste free of charge at two Waste Transfer Stations in the county. This is due to the large amounts of waste they regularly deliver, and to ensure that this does not impede the access of residents for which the HRCs are provided. The Council has no statutory duty to provide free disposal of waste from non-residents, whether charities, schools or housing associations.
It is proposed that VCSE organisations will no longer be allowed to dispose of waste free of charge at Waste Transfer Stations provided by the Council’s contractors. In addition, VCSE organisations wishing to dispose of recyclables at the Council’s HRCs will be able to continue to do so after applying and paying for a chargeable access permit. The charge is to be set at £44 for 6 HRC visits a year, and £70 for up to 12 HRC visits per year, with charges subject to annual uplifts in line with the Council’s other Fees and Charges.
Decision type: Non-key
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Notice of proposed decision first published: 24/05/2016
Decision due: 14 Jun 2016 by Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development Management, Strategic Housing, Operational Property and Waste
Lead member: Cllr Toby Sturgis, Cabinet Member for Spatial Planning, Development Management and Property toby.sturgis@wiltshire.gov.uk
Contact: Martin Litherland, Head of Service Waste Management Martin Litherland 01225 718524 Email: martin.litherland@wiltshire.gov.uk Email: martin.litherland@wiltshire.gov.uk Tel: 01225 718524.
Consultation process
In accordance with the obligations under the Wiltshire Compact agreement, officers have written to current recipients of HRC Discretionary Passes, which enable VCSE organisations to use HRCs and waste transfer stations free of charge, to outline the proposal and have provided a 12 week consultation period. This ended on 18 April 2016, with responses from 11 VCSE organisations received, 3 of which were from organisations not currently in receipt of a Discretionary HRC Pass in Wiltshire. The proposal has also been discussed with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Development Management, Strategic Housing, Operational Property and Waste and forms part of the savings proposals for Waste Services as set out in the Council’s 2016/17 budget. In line with the Wiltshire Compact agreement, officers intend to provide a further 12 weeks notifications period before the changes are implemented, following this decision. The consultation responses are summarised in section 19 of the attached report.