Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillor Will Simpson.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on  the 21 February 2024

The Panel considered the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 21^st February 2024

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the previous meetings be approved.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

Councillor John Taylor declared an interest relating to item 6 as the alternative director for SUEZ Recycling and Recovery Kirklees LTD

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Panel.

All items were considered in the public session.

The Panel will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, Members of the Public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.

The Panel will consider the Waste Disposal Contract Procurement Report prior to Cabinet.  

Contact:

Nigel Hancock, Programme Manager.

Tristan Fethney, Commercial & Technical Development Manager.

Will Acornley, Head of Operational Services, Highways and Streetscene.

The Panel considered the report ‘Waste Disposal Contract Procurement’ which was introduced by Graham West – Service Director for Highways and Street scene.

It was noted that the waste PFI contract was signed in 1998 and had been extended for two years in March 2023 for interim arrangements. The arrangements were delivering the expected outcomes of recycling more plastics from green bins, maintaining landfill diversion of at least 85% and improving the condition of the facilities.

It had been proposed that the interim arrangements be extended and allowed to continue for a further three years with a revised expiry date of March 2028, the maximum allowed. The additional three years would allow more time for statutory service changes to be brought in at a national level and prepare for the procurement of a new contract that was in line with these changes. It also allowed time to benefit from the current cost-effective interim contract.

Nigel Hancock, Programme Manager provided a presentation which explained that:

·         The contract included the:

o   Energy from Waste Facility (EfW)

o   Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

o   2 x Waste Transfer Stations (WTS)

o   5 x Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC)

·         All assets would be transferred to the Council, but they were ageing, and obsolescence was increasing meaning that investment was required.

·         There was a great deal of uncertainty over statutory service changes that would be made to increase recycling.

·         These included: the Environment Bill; Simpler Recycling; Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR); Deposit Return Scheme; and the Emissions Trading Scheme.

·         The changes would add to the types of materials that must be collected, and impacted on how those materials were processed.

·         Significant Capital and revenue funding was required and needed to be approved to deal with the above issues but it was unclear if funding for introducing new services would be sufficient and available in time.

·         The Public Accounts Committee had stated that without clarification, Local Authorities can’t invest or improve recycling and must delay procurement.

·         Reforms to the Procurement Act were also expected to be implemented in October 2024.

·         Procurement of a new 10 to 15-year contract required continued benefits of the Council owned facilities.

·         Market engagement, facility option assessments and procurement options recommended maintaining a fully integrated contract.

·         A review by the Infrastructure Projects Authority confirmed that significant progress had been made, but future services remained a significant risk and more time was required to work through the numerous interdependencies.

·         This required extending the contract for a further 3 years to 2028 and a Deed of Variation (Do was required to be place before the procurement process could start.

·         In relation to funding:

o   £5.984m was included in the current plan to fund investment in the EfW as part of the DoV interim arrangement.

o   £9.679m of additional investment was proposed for consideration at Budget Council in March 2024.

o   The additional capital would enable EfW Gold Standard Maintenance to continue to 2028, fund a new gearbox, replace obsolete infrastructure, and meet legislative requirements.

o   £3m  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Panel will consider the work programme 2023/24

Contacts:

Jodie Harris, Principal Governance and Democratic Engagement Officer

The Panel reviewed its Work Programme for the 2023/24 municipal year and considered potential items for inclusion going into 2024/25 which included:

·         Waste Collection Update

·         The Future of Bereavement Services

·         The Heat District Energy Network (update following development of the full business case).  

·         Events, including a review of the success of large-scale events and the consideration of value vs resource.

·         Parks and Green Spaces Update

·         The Car Parking Strategy

RESOLVED:  The Panel noted the work programme.