FUNDING FOR GLOUCESTERSHIRE'S DISPOSAL OF REFRIGERATORS

EDM number 356 in 2002-03, proposed by Jonathan Sayeed on 11/12/2002.

That this House notes that the Government proposes to fund the additional costs to Gloucestershire County Council, as a result of implementing Article 16(2) of EC Regulation 2037/00 on Ozone Depleting Substances, in the period from 1st April 2002 to 31st March 2003, by means of a special grant allocation of ú363,805; further notes that the estimated actual cost by Gloucestershire County Council for the storage and disposal of redundant refrigerators during this time period is ú661,500; and in addition to the estimated cost to Cotswold District Council, Forest of Dean District Council, and Stroud District Council of ú24,000, ú30,000 and ú22,000 respectively, unknown costs for the collection of redundant refrigerators are also being incurred by Cheltenham Borough Council, Gloucester City Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council; recognises thereby that the total extra cost in Gloucestershire County Council is in excess of ú737,500; and, in view of the statement by the Minister for the Environment, the Right honourable Member for Oldham West and Royton on local authority funding that 'We are ... taking the realistic view that if extra duties are imposed they should be reasonably funded. That is the Government's policy' (HC Official Report, 14th January, column 125), calls upon the Government to make clear how it intends to fund the shortfall in Gloucestershire which will not be less than ú373,695.

This motion has been signed by a total of 23 MPs.