There were no disclosures of pecuniary interest not already published on the websites of the four boroughs.

As the Members for Royal Borough of Kingston have changed since the last meeting, where one of their Councillors, David Cunningham, was elected as Vice-Chair, the Chair, Councillor Stuart Collins, asked for nominations for a new Vice-Chair.  Councillor Judy Saunders proposed Councillor Terry Paton and the Committee duly elected him, unanimously.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 9 June 2015 were agreed as a correct record.

Andrea Keys (SLWP Contract Manager, Royal Borough of Kingston) summarised the report:

• There are 3 contracts:
  • Contract 1: Transport & Residual Waste Management - For 2015-16, Viridor is diverting 40,000 tons to their Lakeside facility as there is a reduction at Beddington
  • Contract 2: Management of the Household Reuse & Recycling Centres - This service continues to achieve good recycling rates.  From 1 October, all 28 off-takers will transfer to Veolia
  • Contract 3: Materials Recycling Services, composting and additional treatment services - There are current issues with recycling markets due to the increased pressure on quality and price.  Despite a reduction in revenues, acceptable revenues are still being achieved.

The Chair queried whether more flexibility about co-mingling of recycling materials might be possible to encourage residents to recycle more.  It may be possible in the future but, as demand has dropped, there are fewer buyers and they are being more selective, wanting to ensure higher quality.

The Committee NOTED the contents of the report.

Michael Mackie (Head of Finance Business Data & Reporting, Sutton) highlighted the key points of the report, including the underspend of £40,000 on salaries, pending appointment of a new officer.

The Committee NOTED the contents of the report.

I understand that in April Councillor Stuart Collins, current Chair of the SLWP Joint Committee, wrote to Ruth Dombey leader of Sutton Council calling for an independent inquiry into a £275,000 donation given by Viridor Credits to Holy Trinity Church in Wallington, where John Drage and his wife are active members and which is regularly used as a meeting place by the Sutton Liberal Democrats.

Annie Baker summarised the main points of the report.

The Committee NOTED the planning progress of the ERF Project.

Following this item, the Chair agreed to take Public Questions:

Shasha Khan:

I would like to put a two-part question to the Partnership regarding three damaging news articles last week relating to the contract for the incinerator in Beddington.

1. The front page of the Sutton Guardian reads 'No Corruption' in relation to a petition for an inquiry being considered by the Sutton Standards Committee on 16.09.15, regarding links between former SLWP Joint Committee member and councillor, John Drage. He is currently the Chair of Sutton Liberal Democrats.
2. The news website 'Inside Croydon' reported that Sutton Council Chief Executive Officer Niall Bolger has been accused by Councillor Nick Mattey of gagging him from discussing the incinerator with "a barrage of abuse and intimidation."
3. The Croydon Advertiser reported that a member of the planning committee that approved the application was "coerced" into voting for the incinerator by John Drage and another former committee member of the SLWP Joint Committee, Councillor Colin Hall.
    

Therefore my question is:

1. Will Kingston and Merton councils join Croydon council in calling on Sutton Council to launch a full independent inquiry, in view of the fact that this matter has brought the South London Waste Partnership into disrepute?
2. Do councillors on this committee accept that John Drage should have disclosed his close personal friendship with Viridor CEO, Colin Drummond and the fact that his wife Elaine Drage is the godmother to Mr Drummond's son when he sat on this Committee? The minutes show he did not do this, in spite of the Agenda clearly saying:
   "Councillors and co-opted members must declare if they have a personal or prejudicial interest in any of the items on this agenda at the start of the meeting, or as soon as the interest becomes apparent to them."
   Item 8 on the Agenda of the SLWP Joint Committee meeting on 24th March 2011, at which John Drage was present, was RESIDUAL WASTE TREATMENT PROCUREMENT UPDATE. John Drage did disclose his close personal friendship to the Viridor CEO to the Sutton Planning Committee when he spoke in favour of the incinerator application in the Spring of 2013.

Councillor Stuart Collins expressed his concern about newspaper reports of the relationship between Viridor and some Councillors who are no longer on the Committee.  However, there is a Standards Committee at Sutton tomorrow (16 September) which will address the issue.  He stressed that it is important that the integrity and accountability of this Committee is maintained.  A report will be submitted on the outcome of the Standards Committee, for discussion at the next meeting of this Committee.

Shasha Khan pressed Councillors to comment on the issue but the concensus was that any further discussion should wait for the outcome of the Standards Committee tomorrow. 

The Committee NOTED the key developments on the Risk Register and the mitigation of these risks.

The next meeting will take place at 5:30pm on Wednesday 10 December at Croydon Town Hall.

(This item was taken after Item 3)

Michael Mackie (Head of Finance Business Data & Reporting, Sutton) explained the reason for this urgent item:

The Partnership is required to produce a draft budget for consideration by the Joint Waste Committee by 31st October each year. In accordance with the Inter Authority Agreement (IAA) the agreed draft budget is then subjected to consideration by the individual boroughs before a finalised budget is taken to the Joint Waste Committee for approval. The IAA sets out that the final budget must be approved by 31st December each year.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10 December, which would be too late for this report.

The Committee RESOLVED to agree the proposed draft budget and for the individual boroughs to consider and agree the resources required, in consultation with the borough Finance Directors.