The Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee are scheduled to meet on Thursday 18 December 2025 to discuss household waste recycling centres, street works, and the committee's work programme for the year. The committee will also note responses from County Councillor Warren Goldsworthy, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, and County Councillor Joshua Roberts, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities, regarding previous recommendations.

Household Waste Recycling Centres

The committee is scheduled to discuss a report outlining the current issues, operational status, and performance of the council's household waste recycling centre network.

The report notes that Lancashire County Council is obligated under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to provide places for residents to deposit household waste. Currently, the council operates 15 Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and one Community Recycling and Reuse Centre (CRRC) in Garstang.

The report highlights several key issues:

• Property: HWRC infrastructure varies significantly in size and suitability, with the largest facility in Burnley (23,000 m²) and the smallest in Longridge (921 m²). The report states that the increasing need to separate waste types to comply with regulations is putting a strain on smaller facilities.
• Compliance: The council's HWRCs operate under environmental permits issued by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is keen to replace all bespoke permits with standard rules permits, but the report states that none of the facilities are currently fully compliant with a Standard Rules Permit, and some would require significant investment to achieve compliance.
• Security: Security is a major concern, with most sites experiencing nightly intrusions. Intruders rummage through skips, damage fences, and leave waste strewn around the perimeter. The report estimates that employing overnight security guards across the network would cost over £1.5 million per year.
• Visitor Numbers and Tonnages: The council's recycling centres receive over 3 million visitors and manage over 100,000 tonnes of waste per year. Visitor numbers have increased by 14.4% and waste received has increased by 21.9% in the last three years.
• Inert Waste: Since 2019-20, there has been a 138% increase in inert waste (soil, rubble etc) and plasterboard delivered to HWRCs, costing the council an estimated £0.5 million per year. The Waste service is developing a new inert waste policy to limit householder deliveries.
• Commercial Waste: An estimated 10% of the waste received at HWRCs could be commercial or 'trade' waste, which is illegal for businesses to deposit at a HWRC. One option to address this issue would be to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems.

The report notes that a programme of work is in progress to develop recommendations for change, and suggests that immediate improvements could include improved security systems, a limiting policy for inert waste, and the introduction of ANPR recognition to prevent the deposit of trade waste.

Appendix 'A' of the Public Reports Pack provides individual HWRC information, including tonnage, visitor numbers, size, recycling rate, and compliance status.

Street Works

The committee is scheduled to discuss a report explaining how utility companies operate while working on the highway and the role of Lancashire County Council as the street and highway authority.

The report explains that utility companies are Statutory Undertakers and have powers to place their infrastructure on the highway. These powers are granted through various Acts of Parliament and statutory licences. The report also refers to the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA), The Traffic Management Act 2004, and the Permit Schemes Regulations which set out the responsibilities of utility companies and street authorities.

Key aspects of street works discussed in the report include:

• Permitting: Utility companies, the county council, and other third parties require a permit from the county council before starting works on the highway, with exceptions for emergency or urgent works.
• Traffic Management: Utility companies are legally responsible for managing traffic and pedestrian safety at their works, adhering to the national code of practice, Safety at Street Works and Road Works.
• Over Occupation of the Highway: Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act allows the county council to impose a daily charge on utility companies for exceeding the agreed duration of works.
• Inspections: Utility companies are responsible for reinstating the highway after completing their works, following the Reinstatement of Openings in the Highway Code of Practice. The highway authority can inspect works to ensure compliance.
• Co-ordinating Works: Section 59 of the New Roads and Street Works Act places a duty on the county council to co-ordinate works on the highway.
• Lane Rental: A scheme aimed at reducing disruption caused by works taking place at peak times on the busiest parts of the highway network. A feasibility study is expected in April 2026 to inform a decision about the future of Lane Rental in Lancashire.

The report includes background information in Appendix 'A' of the Public Reports Pack.

Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2025/26

The committee will review its work programme for the 2025/26 municipal year. The work programme is a document that can be updated to respond to emerging priorities.

The committee will note the formal written response from County Councillor Warren Goldsworthy, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, regarding the committee's recommendations on Repairing Our Road Network – Overview of the TAMP. The committee had previously asked County Councillor Warren Goldsworthy to consider:

• Improvements in public communication.
• The introduction of additional key performance indicators on tree planting, overall road condition and repairs fixed right first time.
• Improve terminology and communication used in the Love Clean Streets app.

The committee will also note the formal written response from County Councillor Joshua Roberts, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities, regarding the committee's recommendations on Public Rights of Way - Processing of Definitive Map Modification Orders. The committee had previously asked County Councillor Joshua Roberts to consider:

• Reviewing all Public Rights of Way processes to determine where appropriate if efficiencies could be made and to present these to a future scheduled meeting of the committee.
• If the former Local Delivery Scheme could be reintroduced to help support with the backlog.

The committee will also discuss and confirm key lines of enquiry for the report due to be presented at the next scheduled meeting of the Committee on 29 January 2026, which is scheduled to be on the topic of Get Lancashire Working, including a progress update on the Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategic Framework 2024-2029.

The Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee Work Programme 2025/26 details the planned activity to be undertaken over the forthcoming municipal year.