Press Releases for 2004

EAST KENT WASTE GRANTS 'TINY SUMS'

8th January 2004

The Government has announced new grants to assist local authorities in meeting recycling targets (1). The Green Party argues that the grants are much too low to make significant investment in new re-use and recycling facilities possible. This denies local authorities the opportunity to create more jobs in the waste management sector. Steve Dawe comments:

"Grants made available to East Kent's local authorities were: Ashford (�23,843); Canterbury (�44,608); Dover-Deal (�20,745); Shepway (�37,857); Swale (�32,696); Thanet (�29,058). These are tiny sums which, even when coupled with an extra �212,898 for Kent County Council, do not begin to address the potential waste management has to provide more long-term, environmentally useful jobs. We can all do more to reduce waste, re-use and recycle. By doing this, up to 50,000 jobs can be created nationwide (2). Wye near Ashford is producing about 250kg of waste per person compared to the national average of about a tonne per person, thanks to public support and the superior recycling provided by Wyecycle. This means a recycling rate in excess of 70% compared with a Kent county average of 15% for local authorities.

"We do not want to blight the landscape with more landfill sites or worse still incinerators. Both these types of development encourage massive vehicle movements which contribute significantly to air pollution. But Government stands in the way by not letting local authorities spend as they see fit and by providing derisory grant levels."

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FURTHER INFORMATION: Steve Dawe on 01233 645167/07904 382203. Contact address: 10 Hillbrow Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4QH. Steve is Press and Publicity Officer for the East Kent Green Party, teaches Environmental Policy and International Development for the Open University. Notes: 1. 6 January 2004 - DEFRA announces �20m targeted recycling grant to local authorities for 2004/05 Elliot Morley, Environment Minister, said: "Our aim in distributing the grant is to ensure that it addresses the pressure each local authority faces to invest in its waste management services next year, and in particular to meet its Statutory Performance Standard for recycling and composting in 2005/06. A share of the targeted grant will be distributed to each local authority with waste responsibilities in England. The grant to each authority will be calculated using a simplified version of the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services formula tailored to reflect need to spend on waste, depending on factors like population density and size of area."Press release: www.defra.gov.uk/news/2004/040106a.htm 2. Rubbish Free by 2020 Green Party report for local elections 2003 Grace Gedge and Dr Spencer Fitzgibbon www.greenparty.org.uk/reports See also: Laying Waste To Britain? In the same area of this site.

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