The West London Waste Authority met at the Harrow Council Hub, Kenmore Avenue on 03 December 2024. This meeting was scheduled to consider the adoption of a new budget, a report on the authority’s food recycling projects, and the response to a consultation on remote attendance.

2025/26 budget

The most significant item scheduled to be discussed was the waste authority’s draft budget for 2025/26. The report pack contains a proposed increase to the boroughs’ levies of £6.2 million, representing an 8% increase on the 2024/25 budget.

The report says that £5.2 million of this increase is driven by an increase in the amount of residual waste being budgeted for. According to the report, the proposed 2025/26 residual waste budget is 6% higher than the actual tonnage of residual waste forecast for 2024/25.

The report goes on to say that this increase is largely driven by an increase in the amount of residual waste over and above the 300,000 tonnes contracted for under the authority’s existing arrangements. It says that the price per tonne of this additional waste in 2025/26 is expected to be £22 higher than for the waste that falls within the authority’s contracted tonnage.

The waste composition analysis has identified recyclables are processed through the residual waste stream, notably food waste, which makes up 30% of the total residual waste.

The report also proposes increasing the charge levied on boroughs for the disposal of residual waste by £4.68 to £119.28 per tonne.

The report pack also contains details of the authority’s use of and plans for its reserves. These are described in the report pack as the organisation’s net worth, and they can be used to offset costs that would otherwise be passed on to the boroughs. The report pack proposes a target level for reserves of £31.5 million for 2025/26. The authority’s reserves for 2024/25 are forecast to be £33 million, and so the report states that there are no excess reserves to be disbursed to the boroughs.

Provided that no risks materialise the closing reserves balance to manage risks of £31.4 million (inclusive of the one third PPP income retained by WLWA) is close to the reserves needed to manage risks. It is proposed that there are no excess reserves to be disbursed back to boroughs.

The report also sets out the authority’s medium and long-term financial plan. This forecasts an increase in the authority’s costs of 3.3% per year. This plan incorporates a number of assumptions, most notably a 1% per year increase in residual waste. The plan forecasts that the authority will be debt-free at the end of the 20 year period covered by the plan.

The report pack also contains an update on the authority’s progress delivering against its business plan. In particular it notes that the authority’s plan to procure a contractor to run all of the boroughs’ Household Reuse and Recycling Centres (HRRCs) will require £8 million of capital expenditure, and will commence on 1 April 2027.

Food recycling projects update

The report pack contains an update on the authority’s investment in borough business cases funded with £3 million from the authority to increase food waste collection and reduce residual waste.

The number of households on the service has increased in all Boroughs The volume of food waste in the residual stream is still significant at c.130,000tonnes per annum There has been an increase in total volume of segregated food waste

The report recommends approving the creation of a joint citizen assembly to be held by June 2025 addressing waste growth and food waste.

Remote Attendance Consultation Response

The final topic included in the report pack was the authority’s response to a government consultation on remote attendance.

The government intends to legislate to give local authorities the flexibility to allow elected members to attend formal council meetings remotely.

The report concludes that the authority should support some virtual meetings, but that core meetings should remain in person. The report goes on to say that the authority should be permitted to set arrangements for remote attendance for up to 20% of meetings, and to allow fully remote attendance for up to 20% of council meetings.