Waste site problems costs council £100,000 a week

The council signed a deal for the facility at Waterbeach in 2008

Problems with a waste management plant have been costing a council an extra £100,000 every week.

Cambridgeshire County Council still has 11 years to go on a £36m-per-year contract linked to Thalia Waste Management's site near Waterbeach, which was signed in 2008.

The centre has a facility to process non-recyclable waste, but this is no longer in use as it needs upgrading to reduce emissions - which requires significant investment from the council - and the authority is currently paying the six-figure sum weekly to treat the waste.

Lucy Nethsingha, the council's leader, said the contract "has not been good for Cambridgeshire in the long-term".

Thalia previously said it was supporting the authority as it reviewed its strategy.

Under a private finance initiative (PFI) scheme, a private company finances the initial construction of a new public building.

The council said when it awarded the 28-year PFI contract, the mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility at the site - which was built to process "black-bag" general waste - met the legislative requirements.

But new conditions were imposed by the Environment Agency in August 2022 and waste operations have ceased ever since.

No general waste is being processed at Waterbeach

Auditor KPMG said in papers for the authority's Audit and Accounts Committee: "The facilities require upgrades to reduce emissions at significant cost which must be met by the council according to the terms of the waste PFI contract.

"This has resulted in increased costs of circa £100,000 per week to manage the treatment of the waste.

"Costs continued to rise during 2024-25 due to the facility being non-operational, which required waste to be diverted through more expensive routes."

Nethsingha, a Liberal Democrat councillor, told the BBC: "The waste PFI, as with so many PFI deals, has not been good for Cambridgeshire in the long term.

"Changes to legislation have meant it has not been operating as originally expected. The council have been working to try to improve the operation and will continue to do so."

A special meeting of the council's Strategy, Resources and Performance Committee is due to be held early in the new year to discuss the facility.

It is expected to be held in closed session because of the confidentiality around the project.