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<p>In March 2012, my Department received initial expressions of interest from 151
lead local authorities, which resulted in bids from 113 local authorities. Some local
authorities submitted multiple expressions of interest which were consolidated before
final bid stage. The final bids were then assessed in line with the published criteria,
and recipients then awarded funding.</p><p>A detailed table listing the schemes that
are being supported is attached and on my Department’s website.</p><p> </p><p>It may
be helpful to the noble Lord to outline what this Government has delivered since 2010:</p><p>
</p><ul><li>Safeguarded weekly collections for 6 million households through the Weekly
Collection Support Scheme as well as championing innovation and best practice; the
answer of 14 May 2014, <em>Official Report</em>, House of Commons 646W, outlined how
14 million households in England have some form of weekly collection of smelly rubbish.</li></ul><p>
</p><p> </p><ul><li>Issued the first ever Whitehall guidance on weekly bin collections,
demolishing the myths that fortnightly bin collections are needed to save money or
increase recycling. This best practice was directly informed by the Weekly Collections
Support Scheme;</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Supported over 40 innovative reward
schemes to back recycling through the Weekly Collection Support Scheme (as pledged
in the Coalition Agreement); the winning bids for a further Recycling Rewards Scheme
for 2015-16 will be announced shortly;</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Stopped the
Audit Commission inspections which marked down councils who do not adopt fortnightly
rubbish collections, and rejected the Audit Commission guidance which advocated fortnightly
collections (“Waste Management: The Strategic Challenge and Waste Management Quick
Guide”);</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Abolished the Local Area Agreements and
National Indicator 191 imposed by Whitehall which created perverse incentives to downgrade
waste collection services;</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Scrapped the Whitehall
requirement for municipal Annual Efficiency Statements, which allowed a reduction
in the frequency of a household rubbish collection service to qualify as a “valid
efficiency” and allowed revenue from bin fines to classed as a “cashable efficiency
gain”;</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Scrapped the imposition of eco-towns
which would have had fortnightly bin collections and/or bin taxes as part of the “eco-standards”;</li></ul><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Through the Localism Act, revoked the 2008 legislation
that allowed for the imposition of new bin taxes;</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Issued
guidance to stop the imposition of illegal ‘backdoor bin charging’ on households bins;</li></ul><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Stopped funding the ‘Waste Improvement Network’ which
told councils to adopt fortnightly collections as best practice;</li></ul><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><ul><li>Challenged the incorrect interpretation by some bodies that European
Union directives require fortnightly collections, and resisted the imposition of bin
taxes by the European Union;</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Removing powers
of entry and snooping powers from bin inspectors and scrapped guidance telling councils
to rifle through families’ bins;</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Changed
building regulations and planning guidance to tackle ‘bin blight’, and worked with
the NHBC Foundation to produce new best practice guidance for house builders;</li></ul><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>Changing the law through the Deregulation Bill to scrap
unfair bin fines.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Without our active support,
Ministers are clear that weekly collections would have disappeared across England.
This Government’s approach can be contrasted with the devolved Labour-led Administration
in Wales, where fortnightly bin collections are official policy, and pilots of monthly
bin collections are being actively encouraged.</p>
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