Waste and resources likely to feel the impact of Spending Review cuts, says CIWM
CIWM
| Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
Responding to the Chancellors Autumn Spending Review, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has expressed concern that significant cuts to key departmental budgets, as well as the cut in central grant funding to local authorities, could have a significant impact on the waste and resource management industry.
“As the lead department on waste and resources management and environmental protection, CIWM has repeatedly emphasised the need to ensure that Defra remains adequately resourced,” says CIWM chief executive Steve Lee. “The department has already stepped back from waste and resource policy and funding, and further cuts could exacerbate this situation.
“In addition, significant cuts at DCLG, both in the departmental budget and in the central grant funding for local authorities, is likely to have a visible and damaging impact both the delivery of waste services and on local planning capability to deliver the resource recovery infrastructure we need for the future.
“There were a few positive announcements, and CIWM particularly welcomes the additional £20m for the Environment Agency to tackle waste crime. This provides the guaranteed, medium term support from the Government that the industry has been asking for. Also encouraging is the £1.15bn funding increase for the Renewable Heat Incentive from 2016 to 2021, although this will do little to mitigate the damage that has been done to this sector by constant changes to DECC policies on renewable energy and the scaling back of a range of incentives and support. Recent figures suggesting the UK will struggle to meet its 2020 EU renewable energy target, coupled with the latest warnings about security of energy supply over this winter, highlight how important it is that the government maintains adequate support for technologies such as anaerobic digestion that convert waste into renewable energy.
“Ultimately, future proofing the UK against resource and energy shocks, and ensuring that we build a more sustainable, clean and green economy requires ambition, leadership and the right structures and resources at both a national and local government level. This is not the message we got from the Chancellor yesterday.”
