Hertfordshire County Council to receive £9.9m Government grant
Hertfordshire County Council can expect to receive £9.9m as part of a government scheme that will ask producers to pay towards the disposal costs of their packaging, councillors have heard.
The ‘extended producer responsibility’ (EPR) scheme is expected to be introduced late next year.
And at a meeting of the county council on Tuesday (December 10), it emerged the council can expect to receive an estimated £9.9m, as a result.
The figure – included in letter from government to the council – was shared with councillors in response to a question from Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Zukowskyj.
Executive member for the environment Councillor Eric Buckmaster said the money – collected from the producers of packaging – was designed to offset the costs of residual waste.
And further sums will also be made available to the county’s district and borough councils, who are responsible for waste collection.
But crucially Councillor Buckmaster said it would not be ring-fenced within the council’s budget.
And he said the scheme would also encourage businesses to reduce the amount of packaging they used – or to redesign it.
Nevertheless earlier in the meeting council leader Councillor Richard Roberts had taken aim at the scheme – during a debate focussing on the impact of the autumn Budget.
He had pointed to the impact of changes to employers National Insurance contributions.
And he had highlighted changes to the Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, that will increase costs when farms are handed down through generations.
And he said: “Did I mention Extended Producer Responsibility? Yep, businesses are going to pick up the waste tab.
“That’s going to cost a fortune. We know that because government is going to give us share of one of the billions it will generate.
“And that will increase costs and that will make everyone worse off.”
However the plans for ‘extended producer responsibility’ (EPR) pre-date the autumn budget.
In response to Councillor Zukowskyj’s question, Councillor Buckmaster also highlighted investments that had been made in waste by the council council in recent years.
This included the investment in the Eastern Waste Transfer Station, two ‘super sites’ and the upgrading of Berkhamsted recycling centre.