Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Keith Burrows, Amritpal Mann and Eleanor Southwood.

Members are reminded that if they have a pecuniary interest in any matter being discussed at the meeting they must declare the interest.  They may not take part in any discussion or vote on a matter in which they have a pecuniary interest.

There were no declarations of interests.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 September 2016 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

Minute 21 – Waste Prevention Action Plan – A summary of the progress so far in 2016/17 and plans for the 2017/18 programme

In response to a Member’s question in relation to the disposal of furniture, Keith Townsend, Chief Technical Adviser, reported that information had been forwarded to the relevant officer in each authority but that he could also forward this to Members.

Members received a report which set out the 2017/18 draft budget for consultation with the boroughs.

Jay Patel, Head of Finance, outlined the content of the report and advised that he did not expect the numbers reported to materially change. He outlined the content of the report and the key messages. He also advised that if the risks did not materialise the Authority would be in a good position to disburse the reserves.

A Member sought clarification in terms of depreciation and was advised that the prices had been received in November and that the lower priced valuer had been interviewed the previous day. It was intended that the valuation be taken before the end of February 2017. It would not, however, be possible to restructure any of the borrowing cost as these were fixed rate loans with no exit clauses.

In response to a Member’s question as to why there had been an increase in the cost of the disposal of soil, Ken Lawson, Contracts Manager, advised that this was due to a change of outlet. For this reason, it currently had to be assumed that soil would be sent to landfill. He also explained that the transport costs for organics and recycling were higher than for other waste due to the increased transport costs and the amount of organics/recyclables that that type of waste lorry could carry.

RESOLVED: That (1) the 2017/18 draft budget for consultation with constituent boroughs be approved;

(2) the indicative Pay As You Throw (PAYT) rates, as detailed in section 13 of the report, and the resulting PAYT levy of £47.0 million be noted;

(3) the Fixed Cost Levy (FCL) of £12.5 million, as detailed in section 14 of the report, be noted;

(4) the recommended trade waste prices, as detailed in section 15 of the report, be noted;

(5) the proposed capital budget of £0.3 million, as detailed in section 16 of the report, be noted;

(6) the proposed level of reserves of £5.6 million to act as a buffer for managing risks and avoiding supplementary levies, as detailed in section 17 of the report, be noted;

(7) the position on disbursement of reserves, as detailed in section 18 of the report, be noted.

Members received a report which provided the medium and long term financial plan for the authority.

Jay Patel, Head of Finance outlined the content of the report and advised that the focus was on tonnage growth and that anything that could be done to mitigate this would assist.

In response to a Member’s comment that all constituent authorities were struggling with recycling rates, Emma Beal, Managing Director, advised that more information would be available in the new year and that the purpose of the draft budget was to support constituent authorities achieve a 50% recycling rate by 2020. It was also important to keep residual waste growth low. She wished to ensure that each of the constituent authority’s specific issues were considered and added that it would be necessary to consider the key performance indicators required.

Keith Townsend, Chief Technical Adviser, reported that, through the West London Alliance, the Authority had commissioned work in relation to collaborative opportunities to order to improve the co-ordination of the collection of waste. Whilst this work was at an early stage, this opportunity was to be welcomed. Emma Beal, Managing Director, added that the Joint Municipal Waste Strategy would be an important element of this work.

RESOLVED: That (1) the medium and long term financial position be noted;

(2) the sensitivity analysis and impact of waste growth and inflation be noted.

That the public and press be asked to leave the meeting during discussion of the following items because exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 is likely to be made known.

RESOLVED:  That in accordance with Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items for the reasons set out below:

Members received a confidential report of the Treasurer which provided an update on the financial position of the Authority, the key operational performance indicators (KPIs), delegated decisions, the annual audit letter from the Authority’s external auditors and a recommendation about the appointment of new external auditors.

RESOLVED: That (1) the current financial position in 2016/17 to period 7 and Key Performance Indicators be noted;

(2) the financial decisions taken under the Scheme of Delegation to Officers be noted;

(3) the annual audit letter from Ernst and Young closing 2015/16 accounts work be noted;

(4) the use of Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) to appoint future external auditors be approved.

Members received a confidential report of the Managing Director and Chief Technical Adviser which provided an update on the Authority’s various waste treatment arrangements.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.