• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • COMMENT
  • CONTACT
  • Twitter

Mayor Rejects Waste Forum

June 15, 2007 - Staff

Following an announcement yesterday by Ben Bradshaw, Minister of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that the government is to set up a statutory London waste and recycling board, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has written to the minister to object to the government’s approach to London’s waste and recycling.

Although Mr Livingstone supports the setting up a London Single Waste Disposal Authority through the Greater London Authority Bill which is currently being considered in Parliament the Mayor has told government that he sees “no purpose” in participating in a Board which has no statutory powers and “which is no more than an administrative mechanism to deliver a funding stream.”

Ken Livingstone’s letter to Mr Bradshaw says that the setting-up of a London waste and recycling board is no substitute for a Single Waste Disposal Authority and that the proposed funding of £19m is “a drop in the ocean in terms of the required long-term investment needed”.

The full text of his letter reads:

“Dear Ben

Thank you for your letter of 13 June 2007.

I’m afraid you haven’t been properly briefed by your officials on my position.  You refer in your letter to ‘broad agreement’ that simply does not exist.  You were copied into my letter of 8 May to Merrick Cockell and into his response.  This exchange made clear the absence of agreement on key points.  To summarise:

– The Forum/ Fund, now the Board, is no substitute for a Single Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) and will have no statutory powers to deliver the meaningful change that is urgently needed in London.  The fact that you are proposing putting the Board on a statutory footing is neither here nor there – it will still have no statutory powers whatsoever.

– As you know, I disagree with the proposed balance of representation on the Board, which may result in deadlock.

– The proposed £19 million that the Board will be able to disburse is a drop in the ocean in terms of the required long-term investment needed, even if used as leverage for further investment. Furthermore, there is no funding guaranteed beyond the first year.

The Board, as proposed in your amendment, represents no progress on these important issues and as such I see no benefit to London in my participating. The Board does not represent a strategic policy solution but a political gesture, and as such is no more than a fig leaf over the problems.

The best way ahead if you continue to rule out the immediate creation of a SWDA, would be to take forward a revised version of Lord Whitty’s amendment. The amendment would expand the situations in which the Secretary of State can exercise the section 10 power to establish a single waste disposal authority for London, and would give the Mayor the power to issue guidance and directions to any such authority.  This would make clear to local authorities that unless they significantly improve their performance, the Secretary of State will intervene to create a SWDA.  (The previous version of Lord Whitty’s amendment gave the Mayor, not the Secretary of State, the power to intervene in these circumstances.)  This amendment taken with your amendment to create a new Board (properly constituted) would provide both short-term and longer-term tools to address the challenges we face.  A draft of my proposed amendment is attached for your consideration.

Whatever route we take forward, I will continue to monitor and highlight the Government’s delivery in respect of LATs, incineration, recycling, hazardous waste and litter, in order to ensure that Londoners are aware of the impact of government policies on their environment.

Yours sincerely
Ken Livingstone
Mayor of London”

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

RECENT UPDATES

Sadiq Khan announces extra £50m to clean up commercial fleets and taxis

Sian Berry selected as Green Party’s 2020 candidate for London Mayor

London Underground introduce new ‘Here to Help’ vests to boost staff visibility

Government awards London £7m for new electric buses




Popular

TfL urged to explore Tube station sponsorship deals after poll shows public backing

TfL confirms plans to axe of shorten dozens of London bus routes

Noise from London’s heliport could pose health risk to residents says study

Social housing tenants gain veto over estate demolitions after new City Hall rules come into effect

FEATURED

TfL planning return of annual fare hikes as agency looks to balance books following Crossrail delay

TfL set to extend Cubic’s contactless fares licensing deal after netting £15m in royalties in just two years

TfL warns budget cuts could force it to close key roads, tunnels and bridges

Transport for London tells board it lacks the cash to deliver Sadiq’s transport vision

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2019 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.