UPDATES

GENERAL UPDATES

Water utilities rebates dropped
Charities that own property have criticised water companies for a new method of charging that has increased bills by up to 1,700 per cent.

Water companies have in the past charged charities the rateable value of their properties, minus a rebate but four of the 10 water companies in England and Wales have scrapped the rebate and begun charging all non-domestic customers based on the amount of rainwater that drains into the sewers. The other six companies are expected to follow suit.

More than 30,000 people signed a petition on the 10 Downing Street website urging companies to excuse churches from their new charging system for non-domestic customers. Village halls are preparing to mount similar campaigns and the Scout Association is considering how to respond. Thousands of amateur sports clubs could also be affected.

British citizenship & volunteering
Foreign residents applying for British citizenship could speed up their applications by volunteering for charities, the Home Office has said. The recently published draft Immigration and Citizenship Bill said applications would be processed faster for people who show they are contributing to the community. The Home Office will set up a working group, including voluntary organisations and local authorities, to advise the Government on how to speed up the citizenship applications of those who become 'active citizens'. The working group will look at what kind of work qualifies, how the Government can ensure it is being carried out and how to minimise negative impacts on voluntary groups responsible for finding opportunities.

http://www.info4local.gov.uk/documents/
related-links/892827

Agency & Temp staff new VAT considerations
At the moment, when an employment agency or employment business supplies staff, VAT is charged only on the agency's commission or the employment business's management/admin fee - not on the salary element of the fee. This will change from 1 April 2009, when VAT will be charged on the full amount charged by the employment agency or business. This will not affect clients who can themselves recover VAT, but charities and other organisations which cannot recover VAT will end up paying an additional 17.5% on top of the wages.

http://www.sandy-a.co.uk/managing.htm#vat-staff

New Driver training requirements
The European Parliament and Council are introducing compulsory training known as Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence). Driver CPC regulations will apply to new drivers acquiring a pcv licence from September 2008 and for drivers acquiring an lgv licence from September 2009. Those who already hold a vocational licence before those dates will be given acquired (grandfather) rights, however all drivers must complete 35 hours periodic training every five years.

http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/vehicledrivers/
drivercpctrainingforbusandlorrydrivers/
drivercpctrainingforbusandlorrydrivers.htm

Changes to exemptions from environmental permitting
Proposals for major changes to the system of exemptions from environmental permitting have been unveiled.

http://www.letsrecycle.com/do/ecco.py/
view_item?listid=37&listcatid=326&listitemid=10257

Consultation: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/
waste-exemption-review/

Scottish Community Recycling Network (CRNS) new Chief Executive
The Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS) have appointed Pauline Hinchion as their new Chief Executive, to help drive forward the organisation and help the community recycling sector fulfill its potential on the journey towards a Zero Waste society.
 
Pauline Hinchion is currently the Chief Executive of FEAT Enterprises based in Fife and its subsidiary company Grangemouth Enterprises based in Falkirk.

www.crns.org.uk

Third sector secondee sought for Defra
Defra are seeking a full-time secondee from the third sector to join the team and support the team leader and Head of Strategy Programme. The period of the secondment will be between 6 months and a year. This post is offered as a secondment opportunity, you will need to discuss this with your present employer to ensure that they will be willing to release you for the period of the placement.  You will remain an employee of your current employer throughout the placement and return to them at the end. This secondment opportunity comes at a key stage in Defra's Strategy Programme, as we begin to prepare for publishing and implementing our Third Sector strategy to work better with the sector in helping achieve Defra's overall mission of living within our environmental means.

Deadline: Wednesday 3 September

Contact Vivien Wilson on 020 7238 6812 or
email  Vivien.wilson@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Charities 'should be protected from bank failures'
The Charities Aid Foundation has written to Chancellor Alistair Darling and the Financial Services Authority requesting full compensation for charities if they lose money in bank failures. CAF has asked for the proposal of full compensation for charities to be included in an FSA consultation on compensation limits, which will take place in the autumn.

"We welcome the consultation and proposals for quick and efficient compensation payments in the event of bank failure, but would like to see full protection for charitable funds on deposit," said John Low, chief executive of CAF.

"At the moment, most charities are classed as small businesses and are therefore subject to the same restrictions, which seems inappropriate considering the nature of their work. Many charitable organisations retain significant funds to ensure their objectives can be met when required. To limit the amount of compensation available to £35,000, or even the proposed higher sum of £50,000, is inadequate. Many charities would simply have to close if they were left with such limited funds. The impact of this on the people and causes dependent upon them could be catastrophic."

Plan for anaerobic digesters in every town to recycle leftovers
Lewis Smith, The Times

Waste-disposal units designed to turn leftover food into electricity and fertiliser could be built around every town and city as part of a scheme being considered by ministers. The new generation of anaerobic digesters has been developed in a government-sponsored trial designed to find ways of solving the shortage of landfill sites. They will be ideally located in suburbs because, unlike previous models, the new units are not reliant on farm slurry to provide moisture for the recycling process.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/
article4561236.ece

Aylesford Newsprint now take Yellow Pages
Directories publisher Yell, have announced that old Yellow Pages directories are now accepted for recycling by Aylesford Newsprint, one of the largest newsprint mills in the UK.

Aylesford Newsprint works with more than 200 local authorities and other key recycling organisations, using paper received from kerbside collections and recycling banks across the UK to produce 100% recycled, premium grade newsprint at its mill based in Kent.

Currently, 99% of UK local authorities provide some form of recycling facility for old Yellow Pages directories.   65% of local authorities currently offer this option of collection via a kerbside collection scheme.   This figure is expected to rise even further following the acceptance of the directories by Aylesford Newsprint.

Real Recycling Campaign recycling collection hierarchy
The Campaign for Real Recycling launched its recycling collection hierarchy at the Local Government Association annual conference in Bournemouth.

The hierarchy represents what the campaign members objectively find to be the most sustainable and cost effective methods of collecting recyclable materials. The ‘best’ and most preferable method as far as maintaining the quality of materials collected is kerbside source separated. The worst approach is what is commonly referred to as the “survival bag”, where a mix of recyclable materials are placed in a single bag that is collected in the same time at the same time as normal household waste (black bags).

http://www.realrecycling.org.uk/CRR_Collection_Hierarchy.pdf

Local Area Agreements (LAAs)
Local Area Agreements (LAAs) set out the priorities for a local area agreed between central government and a local area (the local authority and Local Strategic Partnership) and other key partners at the local level. To see what the agreed priorities are in your area visit:

http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=8399555

Launch of REconomy CIC & The Capacity Building Programme
The CRN UK & London CRN Conference also saw the launch of REconomy CIC.

The principal networks supporting third sector organisations concerned with reuse, recycling, compost and waste minimisation have created a new community interest company (CIC) in order to work together more effectively across England. 

The Community Recycling Network UK, The Furniture Re-use Network, Community Composting Network, and London Community Recycling Network own equal shares of REconomy CIC and the new team will be drawn from all four networks, based in Bristol, Sheffield, London and the regions. Each network will continue with its own work, and the new company will be the vehicle for closer working where appropriate.

REconomy CIC will enable the individual networks to maximise the resources they bring to members and that they in turn offer their communities. REconomy CIC will provide a stronger, more coherent voice in dealings with Government, industry and other partners.

REconomy CIC will provide representation, development support, guidance and information for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations working to manage resources sustainably.

WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is working in partnership with REconomy CIC to deliver a new programme to increase the Third Sector’s capacity to operate in the waste and recycling sector in England. The Capacity Building Programme has five complementary strands of activity intended to improve the capacity of third sector organisations:

Organisational Development
Market development
Networking & Training
Investment for Growth
Projects

Within each strand, third sector organisations can access support tailored to their own needs and fitting their development goals.

To register your interest through REconomy visit:
http://www.reconomy.org.uk/node/add/tellus
Fill in your details & current activity. In the ‘Impact’ section tick the box/s that your proposal will relate to & then click the type of assistance you require in the ‘Intervention’ box. ‘Additional notes’ is for describing your requirements.

Is your project on YouTube?
Have you made a film of your project or promoted your work on YouTube? If so we would like to know about it and feature your project on the CRN UK website. We are keen to showcase the work of the sector and due to the increased interest in video clips as a means to promotion we have created a page on the CRN website in order to document members’ videos.

Please email info@crn.org.uk with any links and details of your video clip.

http://www.crn.org.uk/membership/casestudies.shtml

Accreditation to recognise volunteers' skills
A Europe-wide accreditation scheme for environmental volunteers will be launched in September. The Environments for Learning programme is based on the European Qualification Framework and will provide a way of recognising and assessing skills and knowledge that volunteers learn informally through volunteering.

The programme is being developed by UK environmental volunteering charity BTCV and six partner organisations from across Europe. It will allow skills learned through volunteering in one country to be recognised in another.

Feasibility Study on Building Material Reuse Centres
Any organisations interested in translating the US concept of Building Material Reuse Centres to the UK can download new UK-focused business planning documents at www.bioregional-reclaimed.com/get_report.php including

• A Generic Business Plan which is intended as a template to be developed by individual projects
• A costed financial model based on the operational costs of existing UK based reuse organisations
• Guidance appendices providing case studies and covering essential issues.

Interested organisations will also need to undertake a detailed site-specific feasibility study to establish the local potential supply of materials, demand for sales and costs of operation.

Compost Doctors

The Compost Doctors have been providing on-site composting advice for businesses for the past two years funded by the BREW programme. Although the funding for the Compost Doctors pilot project has come to an end we are continuing to develop the programme and provide a consultancy for businesses and the public sector on on-site composting.

The past two years of funding for the programme has given the Compost Doctors an opportunity to compare and work with various composting techniques and equipment, and to share experiences of working with businesses. This has given the Doctors unique expertise and knowledge of available composting equipment and we hope to share this further within the sector.

The CRN UK in partnership with the Community Composting Network are managing the development of the Compost Doctors project and we are interested to hear from any composting experts who would like to be contacted should an opportunity arise in your area.

Contact: Lizzy, email compostdoctors@crn.org.uk

If you hold an exemption from WML, then from 6 April 2008, you will instead be exempt from environmental permitting. There are some changes, for example to paragraph numbers and to the regulation of hazardous wastes.

Other changes include:

• You will be able to apply for an environmental permit online, later in the year.  
• There will be a dedicated team to deal with all environmental permit applications
• There will be 27 standard permits for low to medium-risk waste activities. These permits will be cheaper to apply for, and we will be issued within three months.
• A single permit could cover all the relevant activities on your site.
• If you're a waste operator, you will soon be able to choose how you prove your technical competence.

If you hold a Waste Management Licence, your new Environmental Permit will give you more options. These include:

• Extending the area of land covered by your permit
• Surrendering your permit using a simpler process
• Surrendering or transferring part of your permit

Ensure your organisation is updated on all the changes, National Customer Contact Centre 08708 506 506 (Monday- Friday, 8am-6pm); email: enquires@environment-agency.gov.uk or visit

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/
1970146/1970198/1970207/

CRN UK Website Case Studies
At CRN UK we are always keen to know about your great work, innovative projects and examples of the way you run your organisation. We would like to have some new & up to date case studies on the CRN UK website to provide inspiration to potential groups and to keep you informed of what other members are doing.

If you would be interested in sharing this information with visitors to the website, or if you don’t have a website of your own and would like to have a page dedicated to your organisation, please complete the form available on this link: www.crn.org.uk/about/casestudyrequestform.doc and email it to Lizzy at info@crn.org.uk.

We look forward to learning what you are doing.

MEMBER QUESTIONS

Any members interested in buying a Luton Iveco truck?

6.5 tonne Luton Iveco truck.
In superb condition this vehicle is on an 06 plate and cost £28,000 just 2 years ago.
Only 36,000 kms on clock with FSH
Highest offer in excess of £12,500

Mike at SCRATCH on 02380773132 or 07768348145

Bin lift Truck

Monmouthshire Community Recycling are looking to buy a second hand compartmentalised binlift truck with capacity for at least three materials presented in 1100 litre bins.  Do you have a vehicle like this for sale?

Contact: David Roman 01291 430550 davidroman@monrecycling.co.uk