Ministers to press on with 'rubbish' charges

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Despite strong opposition from local businesses, it seems there are no plans to bin controversial new waste disposal charges, with Ministers promising to continuing talking instead.

Last month the Infrastructure Minister, Deputy Eddie Noel released details on how his Department planned to charge local businesses to dispose of liquid and solid waste.

But when details of the plans were first released businesses voiced “grave concern” warning that it would cost jobs, and derail plans to rebuild tourism.

Yesterday their concerns were reiterated in the States Assembly as Deputy Sam Mezec said that businesses had “put forward concerns on several issues” regarding the waste disposal charge, to do with how figures had changed seemingly at the last minute, and their concerns about how the amount to be paid for waste disposal charge can be fairly calculated:

“Given the decision of the Parish Assembly in St Helier to appeal the Royal Courts’ decision that the Bellozanne Covenant was spent and extinguished to the Privy Council will the Minister consider taking this as an opportunity to delay the implementation of the waste disposal charge and to engage with the business community and address any concerns they may have about the charges?”

Deputy Eddie Noel disputed the insinuation that his Department had not already engaged with local businesses and said: “We are continuing to engage with business community and we have plans to try and help them minimise their costs through waste reduction.”

Speaking about moving forward with the plans which the States is expected to debate this summer he said: “This is an on-going process. We are not going to simply stop liasing with the business community when the States come to debate this in the summer. 

“We are going to carry on talking to them and working with them so they can minimise their waste right up until and even after those waste charges come through if they are subsequently agreed by the States."

The States agreed in principle to the introduction of solid and liquid waste charges for businesses last September and the Department for Infrastructure released the details of how they plan to bring them in, from 2018. 

They said the new waste charges would raise £11.35million for the department who had their budget cut by £18.85million recently.