The Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss performance data from Places for People Leisure, and to receive an update on the UK Government's Simpler Recycling policy. They were also expected to consider their work programme for the 2025/26 council year. Councillor David Lee Bawn, Chair of the Committee was expected to chair the meeting.

Simpler Recycling

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report on the future of kerbside recycling collections under the UK Government's Simpler Recycling policy¹. The policy, enacted through the Environment Act 2021, requires the council to provide an enhanced range of household waste recycling services from April 2026.

Simpler Recycling requires the council to collect an expanded range of materials including:

• Plastic pots, tubs and trays
• Food and drink cartons
• Glass bottles and jars
• Clean aluminium foil
• Flexible plastics (from 1 April 2027)

The report noted that the council had already approved implementation plans for food waste recycling services to approximately 90,000 households across south-east and central areas of Northumberland, to start in April 2026. The report considered options for meeting the remaining requirements of Simpler Recycling, namely the kerbside collection of an extended range of dry recyclable materials.

The report mentioned that the government has expressed a preference for collection systems that involve the segregation of fibre materials (paper, card, cardboard) to avoid cross-contamination, but that any authority not looking to collect in this manner would need to complete a TEEP² assessment.

The report considered four options for collection:

• Option 1: Separate glass collection. All households would be supplied with an additional 140-litre wheeled bin for glass, with all other recyclables placed in the existing 240-litre recycling bin.
• Option 2: Collection of a fully commingled collection stream. No additional bins would be supplied, with the additional materials simply deposited into the existing recycling bin.
• Option 3a: Separate fibre collection. All households would be supplied with an additional 240-litre wheeled bin for paper, card and cardboard, with the remaining materials placed in the existing recycling bin.
• Option 3b: Separate fibre collection. This option is identical to Option 3a from a collection perspective, but would use a cheaper Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) with reduced mechanical sorting ability.

The report stated that option 1 was non-compliant with Simpler Recycling due to the inability to process flexible plastics, and that both options 1 and 2 do not match the government's preferred collection method and would be subject to a TEEP assessment.

The report stated that the preferred option was Option 3a, as it:

offers full compliance with Simpler Recycling requirements, is relatively simple and easy to use for households, offers a good uplift to recycling rate, a high reduction in carbon emissions and the lowest overall cost. It is also flexible and able to adapt to future waste policy direction and changes to waste composition. It therefore represents the best value for money option.

The report noted that the capital cost associated with implementing Option 3a is £21.18 million, and the revenue cost is forecast to be approximately £16.68 million over the next 5 years. It was anticipated that the value of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding would be sufficient to meet these revenue costs in full.

The report also stated that the earliest viable date at which the new enhanced kerbside recycling services could be implemented would be October 2026, to coincide with the point at which the West Sleekburn MRF facility is closed for refurbishment.

The report recommended that the committee approve Option 3a as the preferred option, confirm that the new recycling bin for paper, card and cardboard will be a black bodied bin with a burgundy coloured lid, and delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place and Regeneration to agree the commercial terms and contract amendments to the Waste PFI Contract with Northumberland Energy Recovery Limited (NERL).

Places for People Leisure

The committee was scheduled to receive performance data from Places for People Leisure (PL), the council's leisure provider, for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

PL is part of Places for People, and manages 103 leisure facilities across 36 local authority partners. The Northumberland contract commenced on 1 April 2024 and is a 10-year contract.

PL's service plan aims to create active places and healthy people for communities to thrive, with a focus on health and wellbeing, workforce development, customer engagement, environmental and energy, and commercial opportunities.

The report included details of investment in facilities including gym refurbishments at Concordia Leisure Centre, Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre, Prudhoe Waterworld and Ashington Leisure Centre. Solar panels had been installed at Ponteland Leisure Centre and Ashington, and LED lighting upgrades in Willowburn, Ashington, Concordia and Wentworth Leisure Centre.

The report stated that membership had grown by 9.8% in the first year, and that 20% of the membership base was from the lowest levels of the Index of Multiple Deprivation³ (IMD) 1-3.

The report also included details of several programmes aimed at increasing physical activity and health equity, including:

• Exercise on Referral: A scheme for individuals with long-term health conditions to increase their physical activity.
• Big Sister Project: A project designed to help girls aged 9-15 in target areas feel 'sport ready' in a safe and welcoming environment.
• GoodBoost and MSK Programmes: Programmes to support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions to get moving with gentle water-based exercise.
• Move Through Menopause: A 12-week course created to empower women by helping them learn about the condition and meet other women who are going through the same thing.
• Mams on the Move: Sessions designed to support new mothers and their babies to be healthy and active, with a focus on preventing and managing post-natal depression.
• People with Disabilities: Ensuring accessible and welcoming spaces, enabling participation across the ability spectrum.

The report also included details of PL's Healthy Communities programme, which delivers sessions in the community for people with long term health conditions, age-related conditions or with disabilities, as well as after school clubs, community walking schemes and Mams on the Move sessions.

The report stated that 750 employees transferred to PL on 1 April 2024, and that 11,828 mandatory training courses were completed in year 1. Staff turnover had reduced from Q1 to Q4 by 3%.

The report included customer engagement data, including Net Promoter Scores⁴ (NPS) and Customer Experience Scores⁵ (CES) for each of the leisure centres. It also stated that five facilities undertook Quest⁶ assessments in Year 1, with Berwick achieving Excellent and Blyth, Ponteland, Morpeth and Wentworth achieving Very Good.

The report included electricity and gas benchmarks for each of the leisure centres, and a financial position summary.

Communities and Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee was asked to consider its work programme for the 2025/26 council year. Issues identified for inclusion on the work programme included:

• Members Small Schemes Overview
• Grounds Maintenance Review
• Highways Maintenance

The committee was scheduled to receive updates on the Tree and Woodland Strategy and the Northumberland Infrastructure Funding Statement in December 2025, a review of regulation and enforcement in January 2026, a Library Service Review in February 2026, and an overview of the council's role in emergencies in April 2026.

The report also summarised the work that the committee looked into last year, including highways maintenance, the North East Local Transport Plan, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service Annual Performance, storm resilience, the Great Northumberland Forest, the Library Service Redesign and Development, and Places for People Leisure.