Thursday, 11 February 2010
Sunday, 8 November 2009
£30 - landfill tax
Millions of people who recycle their rubbish could find it becomes a futile
exercise due to the government's failure to provide enough facilities to prevent
it from being dumped in landfill sites, a
report from a Whitehall watchdog warns today.
Homeowners and tenants could
also have to foot the bill for fines totalling hundreds of millions of pounds
because their council has fallen behind in developing recycling schemes.
The EU has set a deadline of 2013 to halve dumping in landfill sites; the
government faces fines if it misses the target and will pass this on to
councils.
The National Audit Office says there is little chance of completing
a programme of building incinerators and large-scale recycling schemes by
2013.
The government had tried to fund the programme by raising cash from
banks under the private finance initiative, but many of the schemes can no
longer get money because of the credit crunch.
Since many involve building
large incinerators, they are also running into opposition from residents,
resulting in an average delay of more than 19 months in obtaining planning
permission. It can take between five and nine years for a new plant to come on
stream.
According to the auditors, only two big waste treatment plants in
England have come on stream since the programme was launched in 1999 and another
nine projects have been approved. A further 18 are in the pipeline.
The two
completed schemes are in Leicester and east London. Other schemes for
incinerators planned in 2003 and 2006 have not even started; they include
Newhaven in East Sussex, Nottinghamshire and Cornwall.
The report says:
"England is likely to meet its 2010 landfill reduction targets but to meet the
2013 target the Department [for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] will need
to reduce substantially the time taken to procure projects and bring them into
operation ... It will not be met if there continue to be programme delays or the
infrastructure built does not work as efficiently as expected."
Edward Leigh,
Tory chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, said: "The department
sat on its hands for four years after the EU in 1999 set England a testing
timetable for reducing the amount of biodegradable rubbish sent to
landfill."
Councils also warned that they faced problems in meeting targets.
Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government
Association environment board, said: "Councils are pulling out the stops to
deliver projects that will deal with waste. But the reality is the government
has hit the council tax payer with a £1.5bn bill over the next three years by
going back on its undertaking to refund money raised through landfill tax to
local authorities. This is cash that could be used to build the facilities that
are needed to divert waste away from landfill."
Estimates
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Upping sticks
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Brrrrh put another log ont fire
Never shed a clout till May is out is a true old saying
That said. I don't feel as if this winter (2009) has been too bad -OK we've had a bit of snow and ice but I think in general the East coast has got away with it lightly. Indeed as I look out of the window the snow has already turned to slush. I think it's nature rattling it's last sabre to remind us we are never as much in charge as we think!
'So onto the Spring - the birds that sing
The sweet gentle smell of the flowers
The warm summer sun
The bees that hum
And the noise of the gardeners mower
The Autumnal colours of yellow and brown
The leaves in the garden all blown down
Around once again to whence we started
The snow on the ground and the 'Cumfor's' departed
Written by - B Chessman March 2009
Have a good time where ever you are Speak soon
Thursday, 26 February 2009
'Upping sticks'
Friday, 20 February 2009
Change in weather
I apologise to all who read this - If I hadn't rattled on about how glorious the weather was yesterday I wouldn't have put the mockers on today's weather - It's perishingly cold today in Hornsea - Not sure what it's like inland ? But I certainly went back to my winter woollies this morning
No problems with dog owners today though so that's a blessing - I went in search of vandalism & graffiti this morning around our small town and I have to say there was very little - In fact the only bit I found was on the sea front - which only requires a quick lick of paint with a roller and the villains will soon get fed up - ha ha ( Oh I only wish ) The rest of the town looks rather good - The Memorial Gardens is now complete with new paths and fencing and is ready for planting up - Elim Lodge Gardens look very nice with it's new walls, fences and flower beds.
I also strolled through Hall-garth park again, which is still very wet underfoot - However it looks very neat and tidy apart from the proverbial take away cartons strewn all over from last nights drunken feast - The cartons must be very heavy though because they can't seem to lift them into the bin - Indeed one young man said to me "The council picks them up in a morning so it doesn't matter" - Wait while he's paying for it - he''ll change his thinking then - Won't he ?
Ah well - although it's chilly outside - It's nice and cosy in here and I've a warm feeling in my heart cos spring is in the air and that means long balmy days and new life - Keep well until next time
Thursday, 19 February 2009
And another one
I took a brisk walk through our local park to take some early morning photographs and was surprised at the lack of dog walkers. Usually it abounds with the beasts and their animals - suddenly out of knowhere a massive dog comes rushing at me gnashers ready to tear me from limb to limb, growling and frothing at the mouth. I picked up a fallen branch to protect myself from the monster.
"Don't worry shouted it's owner - he's only playing - don't hurt him". 'Playing'! I screamed. "Playing - I wouldn't want to meet him when he's angry then - how do you think I could hurt him - he's the size of a Rhino?"
Off she wandered with not a clue of the panic inside my chest and I love dogs -it's the owners who need training.
Further along the track I encountered my first half empty person of the day. "Good morning - what a glorious day," Says I. "It's very nice indeed," he replied with a smile. Just when I thought I'd met my first half full person of the day, he said. "We never get two the same though do we?" So I responded. "Aye but it'd be a boring life if they were the same would it not". "Aye suppose so," he said as trundled on his way. You could physically see his shoulders drop as he realised I wasn't going to share in his gloom.
Ah well another walk tomorrow!