Gateway Road Reuse and Recycling Centre is now closed.
Request
Clyde Loakes is your chair. He's claiming on one hand that he's an environment campaigner when it comes to his councillor role. And he's overseeing a controversial project to build a massive incinerator potentially polluting a large area of north London. During the meetings with residents, he's apparently doesn't like debate, is rude and is sexist according to the complaints you've sent me.
He does this apparently for no benefit to himself.
My question is, why? Want [sic] does he's get out of it?
When is he due to leave?
Why don't you get someone who doesn't have the characterises of the above and democracy can be restored?
Response
The process for appointment of Members to the Authority and of the Chair of the Authority are set out here. The seven boroughs in the north London, namely Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest decide upon the two members they wish to serve on the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) on annual basis. Most of the constituent boroughs to the Authority appoint their representatives at their annual meeting in March, April or May prior to the Authority’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June. Appointments may also be made at other points in the year if a member moves for example. These appointments are then notified at the subsequent Authority meeting.
In 2020 all of the boroughs either postponed their annual meeting from the usual period, or did not hold an annual meeting in the current (2020/21) year; the Authority’s AGM was also postponed to September 2021. More detail on the membership of the Authority for the current year is available in the ‘Authority Membership’ report presented to the AGM on 4 September 2021 and available here https://www.nlwa.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2020-09/02%20Membership%20of%20the%20Authority%202020-21.pdf
The Chair of the Authority is nominated and confirmed in the role by those Authority members present at the AGM. The ‘Appointment of Members to Committees and Working Groups’ paper presented to the AGM refers: https://www.nlwa.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2020-09/03%20Appointment%20of%20Members%20to%20Committees%20and%20Working%20Groups.pdf
Councillor Loakes was nominated and confirmed as the Authority’s Chair at the AGM on 24 September 2020 and remains in post until the next AGM on 24 June 2021. The rules governing the appointment of Members to the role of Chair are detailed in our Standing Orders available on the governance page (https://www.nlwa.gov.uk/ourauthority/governance) of the Authority’s website.
The public minutes of the September 2021 Authority meeting confirming the appointment of Councillor Loakes as Chair of NLWA are available here: https://www.nlwa.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2020-11/Public%20Minutes%20-%20FINAL%20-%2024%20September%202020.pdf
You have asked what Cllr Loakes receives for being the Chair of NLWA. Cllr Loakes does not receive any payment from NLWA for being the Chair of the Authority.
In response to your final question about the Chair of the Authority, it is for the Members of the Authority to nominate and elect a suitable Chair for the Authority at the AGM. The Authority, chaired by Cllr Loakes is overseeing the development of North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP). However, we disagree that this is “a massive incinerator potentially polluting a large area of north London". The NLHPP is part of NLWA’s overall solution to managing north London’s waste in the most sustainable way possible, and a major part of NLWA’s efforts to tackle the Climate Emergency through waste management.
NLWA has a duty to dispose of waste responsibly and does so in line with the waste hierarchy by prioritising waste prevention and recycling. Therefore, the best way for residents to reduce the carbon impact of their waste is not to produce it in the first place. To that end through our own annual programme of activities, we are supporting borough activity and helping residents prevent a further 10,000+ tonnes of material from being thrown away every year. Where waste is produced and can’t be reused, we want as much of it as possible to be recycled. Boroughs already have collection systems which allows the widest possible range of items to be recycled; we run campaigns and education and outreach activities to boost recycling, and we have called on the Government to make recycling compulsory and give local authorities the powers to enforce correct recycling.
NLHPP will help to drive up recycling rates; for the first time ever, residents will be able to bring their recyclable materials directly to Edmonton EcoPark. This centre will add to the network of centres already in place across north London that provide additional opportunities for residents to reuse and recycle and allow an anticipated further 135,000 tonnes of materials to be recycled. However, we serve a population of over 2 million people and growing and a solution is needed for the waste that can’t be recycled. That’s why our project includes an Energy Recovery Facility (ERF); the new facility is the only proven, sustainable and cost-effective solution to treat up to 700,000 tonnes of north London’s non-recyclable waste at Edmonton EcoPark.
I refer you to our response to information request 2019-06 about the environmental impact of the new facility – available here: https://www.nlwa.gov.uk/ourauthority/scheme-of-publications/impacts-nlhpp-future-services-public-health-cost-reducing and the Environmental Statement which assesses the impact of the programme. This is publicly available free-of-charge on the northlondonheatandpower.london website here: http://northlondonheatandpower.london/documents/environmental-statement/
I trust this response answers your questions, but if I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
