Issue - meetings

Report ES13108

Members considered the latest budget position for the Environment Portfolio.

Based on expenditure and activity levels to 31st July 2013, the 2013/14 controllable budget for the Environment Portfolio was projected to overspend by £546k.

Report ES13108 also highlighted expenditure and progress against Environment Portfolio projects within the Member Priority Initiatives programme.

Details were provided of variations leading to the projected overspend. This included a £546k net shortfall of income resulting from closure of the Westmoreland car park. It appeared that parkers had not migrated to other LBB car parks within Bromley town centre – very little additional income had been received for the other car parks in the first four months of the year. An amount had been set aside within central contingency to cover the estimated shortfall and Councillor Jefferys suggested a footnote on the budget monitoring summary to reflect this (the car park sale had not completed at the time of preparing the off street parking income budgets). Report ES13108 recommended that the Portfolio Holder seek Executive approval to draw-down the amount.

Concerning a projected £60k deficit within waste disposable tonnages and an end of year variation of 750 tonnes, Councillor Jefferys enquired of what action was being taken to address this such as promoting waste minimisation to residents. Highlighting reduced paper tonnages from households and a projected £50k deficit, he also enquired whether this might be due to wet weather last winter having a negative effect on paper collected.

Members were advised that a large proportion of the waste tonnage variation resulted from increased waste at the transfer stations rather than residents putting more waste out for collection. Officers were working to find markets for as much of this waste as possible.

Regarding paper, officers were negotiating with the contractor and there was an expectation that the price for paper would be adhered to. With successive weeks of wet weather, it was acknowledged that a significant amount of paper would turn to pulp. This would be difficult for paper mills to process but was a problem for the contractor (pulp is part of treatment but it was understood that pulp produced from paper in wet weather is unacceptable for treatment processes).

The Chairman highlighted the Waste Minimisation Working Group and for a future initiative, suggested a publicity campaign on recycling paper. 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

(1)  endorse the latest 2013/14 budget projection for the Environment Portfolio;

(2)  note progress in implementing the Environment projects within the Member Priority Initiatives programme; and

(3) agree that the Executive be asked to approve the draw-down of £546k from central contingency for the net loss of income from Westmoreland Car Park, pursuant to its sale in April 2013.