REPORT OF THE

POLICY AND RESOURCES SCRUTINY AND SELECT COMMITTEE

PART I

SCRUTINY AND SELECT COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO PROJECT INTEGRA

1 The Committee has completed its second scrutiny inquiry operating in the style of a select committee, and relating to the role and functions of Project Integra in the area of waste management. The scope of the inquiry was:

· What should the long-term vision of Project Integra be and how should the partners work together to achieve it?


· What should the Hampshire County Council role in the Project Integra Management Board be?


· What are the barriers to moving forward and how could they be overcome?


The impetus for the inquiry arose from the decision of the former Executive Member for Environment who indicated that Hampshire County Council might withdraw from the Project Integra Board, a possibility which led partners to a fundamental review of the best way forward in waste management.

2 The report supports Aims 2 (Stewardship of the Environment) and Aim 5 (Improving Services) of the Corporate Strategy in that it points the way towards improved, more efficient, cost effective and environmentally sustainable ways of dealing with the increasing volumes of waste in the Hampshire area.

3 The process followed was to obtain and study relevant written evidence from publications and written submissions; to take evidence from external experts and witnesses, especially ONYX/Hampshire Waste Services; to obtain the views of County Council Officers from the Environment Department and the Executive Member for Environment (South Hampshire and Resource Management); and to seek the views of colleagues in the Project Integra Partnership -

· the Hampshire District Councils as waste collection authorities


· Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils who act both as waste collection authorities and waste disposal authorities.


Numerous key themes emerged from the publications, written submissions and evidence from witnesses which are reflected in the detailed recommendations set out below.

4 The in-depth investigation was carried out by a Panel comprising the majority of Members of the Committee and chaired by Councillor Kendal, who will present the Committee's recommendations to the County Council and elaborate on the rationale behind them. The full report considered by the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee has already been sent to all County Councillors to enable them to consider the issues in advance.

5 The County Council will need to be mindful that the Scrutiny Inquiry focuses on two areas:

(a) A partnership (Project Integra) in which the County Council has influence rather than control.


(b) The behaviour and role of Hampshire County Council within that partnership.


It is therefore important to note that contained in this report are two types of recommendations which are made to the Council for endorsement.


· Those to Project Integra partners as a whole - which the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee is requesting that Full Council endorse to be sent as constructive advice to the partnership about how to move forward.


· Those to the Hampshire County Council and its Executive Member and Officers(especially those in Paragraph 6.2 of the report) - which the Council is asked to endorse as advice to which it will expect


(a) a response from the Executive Member as to his intentions to adopt suggested approaches and ensure suggested lessons are learned


(b) A report on progress from officers back to the Policy and Resources Scrutiny and Select Committee in 12 months time.

6 The Committee therefore requests the County Council to endorse their views on the outcome of the scrutiny study of Project Integra as set out below and to adopt the recommendations for action. The Committee draws particular attention to the feedback to Hampshire County Council which makes specific suggestions for action set out in paragraph 6.2 of the report.


RECOMMENDATIONS

(a) That the nature of Project Integra and the Management Board be redefined as a facilitation network between the 15 partner businesses rather than a business in itself, thus allowing:


· the current Management Board to focus on progressing municipal waste with appropriately focused support, targets and expectations


· the waste disposal authorities to create a separate parallel structure within the broader scope of Project Integra to progress work on the wider integrated waste management issue, including commercial and industrial waste - with an opportunity to waste collection authorities willing to make firm financial commitment to be included


(b) That the vision of Project Integra as a whole is one of "waste management" which is developed and owned by the Leaders and Chief Executives of the appropriate partners. From this wider vision would then flow strategies and plans for defined elements such as:


· municipal waste


· commercial and industrial waste


(c) That detailed recommendations in paragraphs 5 and 6 of the report be adopted covering:-


· the role of Hampshire County Council and lessons it needs to learn


· the way in which the Project Integra Executive Officer role would need to be redefined to provide support for the suggested structure and vision


· suggested approaches to other barriers which have evidenced themselves as key to making progress as a partnership


(d) That the Council recommends that key Executive Members and Senior Officers work with the unitary authorities and the district councils to seek their concurrence to the main provisions of the report.

M.J. KENDAL

Chairman

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