Spring Budget response from CIWM and R&WUK
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
CIWM Chief executive Dr Colin Church, and R&WUK Director General Steve Lee, have responded to measures laid out in the 2017 Spring Budget.
CIWM
Chief executive Dr Colin Church
Commenting on the Spring 2017 budget, CIWM has welcomed the proposal to consult on extending the scope of Landfill Tax to illegal disposals of waste made without the required permit or licence as a useful measure in the fight against waste crime. It also hopes that that the ongoing drive to tackle tax avoidance will translate into further support for enforcement activity on landfill tax evasion by the authorities.
“We are also encouraged that the Government has listened to many of the key stakeholders across the sector and opted for the higher packaging recycling targets for 2018 -2020,” says CIWM chief executive Dr Colin Church. “This sends a clear signal of ambition, which we hope will be reflected across the wider waste and resource policy agenda in Defra’s forthcoming 25 year Environment Plan and the industrial strategy.”
“On skills, CIWM is pleased to see the Government’s commitment to new ‘T’ level qualifications that put technical training on an equal footing with academic qualifications. If the UK economy and infrastructure framework is to become more productive and resilient in the future, circular economy and clean tech skills will be essential.
“Stronger signals on resources will be needed moving forward, however. In this Budget the Chancellor focuses on labour productivity; in the future we will all need to increase our efforts to improve resource productivity to support the UK’s transition to a low carbon, resilient and resource efficient economy.”
R&WUK
Steve Lee, Director General of R&WUK
“We expected announcements on the extension of Landfill Tax to illegal deposits and the packaging targets, and these have already been welcomed by both ESA and CIWM. However, the Chancellor has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor in making no reference to the much broader policy challenges around climate change, the low carbon economy, and energy and resource efficiency and security. Our sector has a lot to contribute to this agenda – both in economic growth and environmental protection terms – and it is disappointing to have to point to this omission yet again.
“That said, the Government may have a credible excuse this time. We are going through an unprecedented period both as a result of Brexit and because four major (and hopefully interlinked) policy frameworks are currently under development on national infrastructure, industrial strategy, the environment and emissions reduction. And if we want evidence-based policy making then the evidence has to be gathered and assessed. Once these strategies and plans are live, however, R&WUK will be calling strongly on the Treasury to show that it is firmly behind the plans and objectives set out.”
