Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To advise Members on the current position for 2016/17 for the six councils within the Arc21 region and consider the application of the agreed Arc21 NI Landfill Allowance Scheme (NILAS) transfer protocol.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to;

·        Approve the transfer of allowances to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, subject to approval at the Arc21 Joint Committee meeting in August 2017.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Members will be aware that councils are permitted to landfill a proportion of their residual waste on a progressively reducing annual basis.  The Department of the Environment (DOE) set these annually reducing targets between 2006 and 2020 on a council-by-council basis, called the Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme (NILAS), in order to deliver the requirements of the EU Landfill Directive (LFD).

3.2       Since 2008, across the Arc21 region, a protocol has been in place relating to the transfer of excess NILAS allowances between constituent councils, should this be required. 

3.3       As Members may be aware, the Arc21 Joint Committee endorsed a NILAS Transfer Protocol which was agreed and ratified by all the constituent councils.  The principle of the protocol is for any constituent council with excess allowances in any given scheme year to make them available for transfer to any other constituent councils, should they require them to meet their allocation.

3.4       The adoption and implementation of the protocol has ensured that Arc21 councils maximise their excess allowances should the need arise and is a tangible example of Arc21 being a beacon of partnership best practice.  It also gives the councils some protection in the event they do not meet their allocation for whatever reason.

3.5       The Protocol comprises the following;

·        Excess annual allowances to be collated and totalled at Group level (known as GEA – Group Excess Allowance)

·        GEA distributed amongst those constituent councils requiring additional allowances to meet their annual NILAS allocation

·        Each council’s allocation from GEA shall be calculated in proportion to the population or utilising an alternative method duly agreed.  Where applicable, the total amount to be transferred shall not exceed the total required to meet that council’s annual NILAS allocation.  This step shall be repeated until either all constituent councils meet their annual NILAS allocation or the GEA has been exhausted and

·        Thereafter, the formal transfer procedure outlined in Regulation 7 of the Landfill Allowance Scheme (NI) Regulations 2004 shall be complied with.

3.6       With regard to 2016/17, the NILAS reconciliation currently indicates that one council; Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has exceeded its annual allowance.  Accordingly, the agreed Arc21 protocol requires initiation and the report outlines the outworking’s in respect of the transfers of allowances.  It should be noted the actual amounts are still indicative and may change when these figures are finalised, typically in the autumn.  It is intended to make a written progress report to the August meeting of the Arc21 Joint Committee for noting. The current position and the calculation of the allowances for the 2916/17 protocol is available on modern.gov.

            Key Issues

3.7       The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has released the draft NILAS reconciliation position for Councils regarding 2016/17. Belfast met its NILAS obligations and used 98.5% of its landfill limit.

3.8       One council, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council exceeded its obligations requiring the triggering of the Arc21 Transfer of Allowances protocol. The principle of the protocol is for any Arc21 constituent council with excess allowances in any given scheme year to make them available for transfer to any other constituent councils, should they require them to meet their allocation.

            Financial and Resource Implications

3.9       There are no financial or resource implications associated with this report.

            Equality or Good Relations Implications

3.10     There are no equality or good relations issues associated with this report.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.