The West London Waste Authority met on Tuesday 16 September 2025 to discuss financial updates, contracts and operations, the business plan and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding, and chief officer posts. Key decisions included approving the disbursement of EPR funds to boroughs, investing in transfer station infrastructure, and approving the appointment of a new Treasurer.

Finance Update

The Authority received an update on the financial position for the first quarter of 2025/26, which showed a surplus of £1.4 million compared to the budget, with a year-end forecast surplus of £0.07 million. However, a £1.5 million overspend was recognised in the full-year forecast for landfill charges. The report also detailed treasury activities, noting £2.0 million in interest earned on investments due to high interest rates, against a budget of £1.0 million. A Treasury Management Policy and Strategy was approved, and the Financial Regulations were updated to incorporate the CIPFA Financial Management Code. The Authority approved the Director of Finance continuing to undertake the Treasurer role until the end of September 2025.

WLWA 2025-26 Business Plan and EPR Funding Plan

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the 2025-26 Business Plan and the allocation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding. The plan aims to reduce costs and risks for boroughs arising from factors such as housing growth, fly-tipping, and upcoming legislative changes like the inclusion of energy from waste in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The Authority approved the disbursement of £3 million from the EPR recycling processing fund to boroughs, with a further £2 million allocated for investment in transfer bays at Victoria Road to manage additional materials and increase system resilience. Approval was also given for up to £300,000 for consultancy support to develop business cases for communal collection infrastructure, optimising the investment of £6 million of EPR funding. Additionally, the development of an Emissions Trading Scheme levy was approved to protect the current waste reduction incentive mechanisms and incentivise fossil carbon reduction.

Contracts and Operations Update

The Authority received an update on contract performance, noting that planned maintenance at the Severnside Energy Recovery Centre (SERC) had been completed with minimal disruption. However, there were unplanned outages at Viridor's energy recovery facilities. Abbey Road transfer station had operated at reduced inputs due to staff shortages, though recruitment and site improvements have since been implemented. The report highlighted that costs associated with residual waste sent to alternative disposal sites during the SERC outage were higher than budgeted, and reduced income from trade waste at Abbey Road due to input restrictions was also noted.

Chief Officer Posts

The Authority addressed the vacancy in the Managing Director role following Emma Beal's departure. Peter Tilston, currently Director of Circular Economy & Net Zero, was appointed as interim Managing Director until 31 March 2026. A recruitment process for the permanent Managing Director post was endorsed, with a Recruitment Committee comprising Councillors Sheth and Neden-Watts delegated the authority to appoint and agree the starting salary. The Authority also agreed to the immediate appointment of Ian O'Donnell as the Authority's Treasurer, who had previously held the role and offered to return on revised terms and conditions. The recruitment of the Managing Director is expected to incur fees of up to £50,000, to be covered by the existing budget.