Britain the dustbin of Europe No comments yet

I caught this item on the BBC news yesterday, with reference also to the LGA press release. Apparently us Brits are pretty laggardly when it comes to recycling our rubbish, as the following statistics on countries with the highest amount of rubbish thrown into landfill sites reveal:

• The UK dumps around 27million tonnes
• Italy dumps around 20million tonnes
• Spain dumps around 17million tonnes
• France dumps around 13million tonnes
• Germany dumps around 10million tonnes

And apparently we will run out of landfill sites in 2017.  Councils, and consequently the taxpayer, are facing fines of up to £150
per tonne of rubbish that is sent to be dumped into landfill sites.
According to the National Audit Office, fines of up to £200million
could hit taxpayers for the failure to cut the amount that is thrown in
landfills.

The proposal is for councils to start charging for the amount we throw away  - not an unreasonable approach in the circumstances. However, I’m not quite sure if all the consequences of this policy have been full thought through. For example, will we see start to see fly tippers advertising their services in Yellow Pages ("We can dump your household waste 20% cheaper than your council….no questions asked!"). And I wonder how many people will start to take their rubbish out at around midnight. with a judicious allocation being given to neighbours’ bins that  have been a bit more diligent with their own recycling?  Apart from which, shouldn’t the producers of all this excess packaging (especially for foods) be  brought to account? Who asked for all this triple-packaging and over-sized boxes that are only half filled?

Interestingly, we are perfectly within our rights to remove excess packaging at the point of sale. So, the next time you are at the supermarket, instead of mindlessly packing away all your items into your carrier bags, remove all the fancy polythene, cardboard and plastic packaging from your food and other goods, and leave the problem with the supermarket. After all, they’re likely to have more influence on the suppliers than you or I.  I’d be interested in hearing from anyone who has tried this.
In the mean time, I’m sure we’re going to hear a lot more about this issue, and one thing you can be sure about….it’s going to cost us mortal tax payers more than what we’re paying now in rates and taxes.

Intranet vs. Social Media 2 comments

I thought Euen Semple’s blog today comparing the ineffectiveness of most Intranet (enterprise) search engines with social media as a means of getting to relevant information and knowledge was spot on. Not much I can add, so suggest you read the source. All at bit close to the heart, since I’m currently doing some work with a large gov agency who are implementing a new Intranet search engine, and also a local gov agency who are developing social media tools. I think part of the answer to this conundrum is to start integrating things like discussion forums into the enterprise’s Intranet search index - the best of both worlds maybe?

Top Ten Green Councils 1 comment

The Guardian article gives a list of the top ten best performing councils on green issues. It caught my eye initially because my local council - Uttlesford DC - got a mention in relation to their turning down plans for expansion at Stansted airport. A subject close to my heart!

The DCLG Capability Review - not for the squimish! No comments yet

Prescott’s legacy - the Department for Communities and Local Government - DCLG (previously the ODPM) continues to flounder. A recent Civil Service Capabilty Review identifies the DCLG is one of the least capable departments in Whitehall. The report refers to "skills gaps in project and programme management" and says the DCLG lacks a reputation for strategic influence across government. Its senior officials are also unable to exert significant leverage over ministers on spending choices.

Is it right to watch something suffer like this…..if it was an animal it would surely be humanely destroyed!

Shared Services continue to disappoint No comments yet

As we start the New Year, it’s somehow comforting to know that…well, nothing is new!

The New Local Government Network, a policy think-tank, says there is "insufficient documented evidence that shared services are effective within local government" and current projects are "developing in silos" with very little knowledge sharing.  The claims come in a new report it has published on the barriers to shared services. The full report is available here. Download the_politics_of_shared_services.pdf