NCAS asking DoI for £67k to cover Bride Commissioners shortfall

Civic amenity site board will have to 'exit' if money can't be found

The Northern Civic Amenity Site joint committee board says it needs the Department of Infrastructure to provide financial support to cover the running costs after Bride has pulled out of the agreement.

In a letter, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the committee says there’s been a ‘lack’ of solutions provided by the department.

It’s asking DoI for £67,000 which is the amount that Bride Commissioners was paying before it pulled out.

The letter says that without that financial input from the Department of Infrastructure then the board will have to ‘exit the site’.

Bride's contribution was 14 percent of the running cost of the NCAS - the full cost is £480,000.

The letter states the board can only continue if the current and future ‘shortfalls’ are covered by the department.

In April it was revealed that Bride had pulled out of the NCAS for financial reasons claiming the rates system being used to finance it was ‘unfair’.

Each local authority represented on the committee pays a cost based on the rateable value of the area.

Following that Bride put in place a number of waste management solutions for its residents including a ‘man with a van’.

ID checks were introduced at the amenity site to ensure only those paying towards it were able to use it. 

In the letter it says Bride remains ‘determined’ to ‘ignore logic and respect’ for the rates system which pays for services.

A number of solutions have been drawn up by the NCAS board - the main one being that the DOI pays the £67,000 shortfall.

It also suggests ‘direct action’ be taken by the DoI to remove Bride’s business rate contributions or ceasing rent on skip movements to the local authority’s former contribution value.

Another option is to charge the DoI for staffing and weigh bridge station costs specifically when items are due to be taken to Wright’s Pit North to ‘balance’ the contribution.

The letter also says the committee wants to work with the department not ‘against’ it.

It has also requested a response by Monday, 7 October, in time for the rate setting process.

The Department of Infrastructure says: "[We] committed in April to work with the Northern Civic Amenity Site Joint Committee and this remains the case. No further comment will be issued at this stage."

The chair of the NCAS joint committee has declined an interview.

Previously the LDRS service has invited Bride Commissioners to comment but the authority said since it has not contributed financially or operationally to the site since 31 March this year it has nothing to add.