Agenda item

To receive any written questions from Members under Standing Order 47.

Agenda item only

The Chairman first asked for members’ written questions on flooding only.  Other member written questions were heard later in the meeting.  The questions and answers are set out in Annex 1 to these minutes.

One member written question was received on flooding from Mrs Denise Saliagopoulos.  Mrs Saliagopoulos asked a supplementary question: “Where is the money coming from [£52.2m partnership funding]?”

Ben Skipp, SCC Programme Manager replied that it was in addition to the £60m from central government for the Environment Agency (EA).  Discussions are still taking place and the EA is updating predicted costs.

Mrs Saliagopoulos thanked officers and said she would follow up costings with Mr John Furey, SCC Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Flooding.

Two other non-flooding written questions were received: one from Mrs Saliagopoulos and one from Mr Robert Evans.  There were no supplementary questions.

There was one other member written question received from Cllr Spencer Taylor that was heard at the meeting but omitted from the papers:

“There are a number of voluntary organisations that generate recyclable waste which if residential, Spelthorne would gain credits for.  Is Surrey CC in, or will be in, a position to extend collection of said material from persons or premises that are clearly noted as voluntary or community orientated groups, to reduce the need for costly third parties that levy a charge for collect, then reap the benefits of reimbursement because of the material concerned?

I pose this question as I have been informed by our waste services that they can not collect commercial waste, understandable, without penalty, yet we have constituted organisations that are adversely affected by this rule that both Spelthorne and Surrey could benefit from.”

Richard Parkinson, SCC Waste Operations Group Manager, replied:

“The types of materials that can be collected and disposed of by local authorities and for which charges for collection and disposal can be made are set out in statute.

Waste that arises from a voluntary organisation would be classed as commercial waste for which both a collection and disposal charge can be made. As there would be no avoided disposal cost if this waste were collected for recycling, the county council would not pay a recycling credit to a borough council or to any other organisation or company collecting this waste for recycling.

Where waste materials that originate from householders are collected by the borough council and retained by the borough council for recycling then the county council must pay the borough council a recycling credit to reflect the avoided cost of having to dispose of these materials. Where such household materials are collected and retained for recycling by third parties, then subject to verification that the material has been collected from householders and has been recycled, the county council may also pay a recycling credit to that third party.

There is no reason why a local authority cannot operate a commercial waste  collection service, in fact , the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires local authorities to arrange for the collection of commercial waste if requested to do so by the occupier of such premises. However for the reasons set out above, no recycling credit would be payable if the commercial waste were collected for recycling.”

Cllr Taylor will ask a supplementary question at the next Local Committee meeting on 23 March.