TO: JOINT WASTE DISPOSAL BOARD
17th June 2021
re3 STRATEGY REPORT
Report of the re3 Project Director
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The purpose of this report is to brief the re3 Joint Waste Disposal Board on progress in the delivery of the renewed re3 Strategy.
2 RECOMMENDATION
2.1 That Members endorse the contents of the draft re3 Strategy, appended to this report.
2.2 That Members agree the processes of internal, stakeholder and public consultation, as described between paragraphs 6.1 and 6.8.
2.3 That Members request that final draft of the re3 Strategy, amended to appropriately reflect the content received in the consultations above, is brought back to an appropriate JWDB meeting for Member approval, before the end of the 2021/22 council year.
3 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED
3.1 None for this report.
4 REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION
4.1 The purpose of this report is to brief Members on progress made since the last re3 Board meeting, after which Members identified strategic imperatives for each council.
5 Re3 STRATEGY
Background
5.1 The re3 Partnership has maintained a strategy since 2016. Key strategic aspirations, of the re3 partnership, have initially been reflected in the shared strategy, such as the following examples:
· Food waste processing
· Processing ‘mixed’ plastics (pots, tubs and trays)
· Trade waste receipt at the HWRCs
5.2 At the January 2020 re3 Board meeting, Members requested the preparation of a strategic pathway for the re3 partnership.
5.3 The Covid-19 pandemic has delayed progress in developing the strategic pathway. Nonetheless, at each re3 Board meeting in 2020, Members received strategic briefings, building towards the meeting in January 2021, after which Members recorded their strategic aspirations as individual councils and as partners.
5.4 The accompanying briefing includes a short analysis of the data collected from Board Members. Alongside the data from Members, the briefing sets out a first draft strategy for the partnership, which also reflects the emerging legislative environment and the re3 council’s respective climate change commitments.
re3 Strategy
5.5 The Draft re3 Strategy is directed at addressing the following imperatives:
5.6 The strategy is organised around five themes, which emerged from the data provided by Members in their council-specific strategy sessions, in January 2021. The themes are:
5.7 Climate Change reflects the commitments made by each council during 2019 in their respective recognition of the need to address greenhouse gas emissions and make climate change adaptations between 2030 and 2050. The draft strategy reflects how, earlier this year, Government committed to speeding-up its reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions.
5.8 Waste Collection was a notable as a service area in which Board-Members identified strategic aspirations. As a service with high levels of resident recognition, waste collection is a challenging service area to incorporate in a strategic sense, but it is also a key area in forthcoming legislation, via the Environment Bill. It’s inclusion in the re3 strategy will enable the councils to support one another and exercise their Unitary (higher-tier) status.
5.9 Waste Management relates to the processing of waste collected by the councils and delivered by residents. This service area will also be significantly impacted by aspects of the Environment Bill and is of crucial importance to the re3 councils as it is through this service that waste and recycling outcomes are ultimately determined.
5.10 Innovative Partnership reflects the aspirations of re3 Board Members for the councils to work together in developing new and effective ways of working. This theme recognises that changes in population, demographics, waste composition are inevitable and that ways of working, waste treatment and our exploitation of commercial opportunities will be essential.
5.11 The continuing need for effective Communication was identified by re3 Board Members in activities such as education, behaviour change and aspects of enforcement - all of which also relate to the Environment Bill. The re3 partnership has a unique and creative voice which must continue to supplement council specific messaging.
6 NEXT STEPS
Consultation
6.1 Subject to the endorsement of the draft strategy, by the re3 Board, it is recommended that further consultations are undertaken before a final version is brought back to the re3 Board for approval.
6.2 Consultations and contributions should, as a minimum, be sought from:
1. The councils (e.g. relevant service teams)
2. Contractors to the councils (e.g. those who will need to provide info, or comply)
3. Residents
6.3 The first two elements of the consultation (councils and contractors) should be led by the councils themselves, recognising that consensus should be sought.
6.4 Objectives to which specific public consultation are recommended, have been highlighted in green, within the draft strategy.
6.5 The re3 Project Team recommends that the public consultation be undertaken online and that it is accompanied by some (brief and clear) educational content too. In that way, the consultation can help to both inform residents about aspects of the wider waste service and seek their input into the strategic direction of the re3 partnership.
6.6 Detail from the consultations and, officers anticipate, the final draft of the Environment Bill (including important detail on the Resource and Waste Strategy requirements) will be used to finalise those aspects of the draft strategy which are currently highlighted, because they require clarification or remain to be determined. This will include specific targets within the re3 Strategy.
Next Steps
6.7 Data from the above consultations should be collected, analysed and incorporated into a final version of the re3 Strategy which should be presented to the re3 Board before the end of the 2021/22 council year.
6.8 The above timetable will require the support of the respective councils and their relevant teams for the two elements of internal consultation feedback to be completed and shared in good time.
7 ADVICE RECEIVED FROM ADMINISTERING AUTHORITY
Head of Legal Services
7.1 None for this report.
Corporate Finance Business Partner
7.2 None for this report.
Equalities Impact Assessment
7.3 None.
Strategic Risk Management Issues
7.4 There is a risk that something foreseeable is overlooked in the process of preparing a new strategy. That risk can be mitigated via the process of consultation identified above. That includes consideration of this report and its accompanying briefing by Members and Officers.
8 CONSULTATION
8.1 Principal Groups Consulted
Not applicable.
8.2 Method of Consultation
Not applicable.
8.3 Representations Received
Not applicable.
Background Papers
October 2020 re3 Board
Contacts for further information
Oliver Burt, re3 Project Director
0118 937 3990
oliver.burt@reading.gov.uk