Mayor of
London Boris Johnson has agreed to chair the London Waste and Recycling Board
in contrast to previous Mayor Ken Livingstone.
Johnson said he will champion recycling in London and has expressed his intention to
direct up to £24 million of London Development Agency funds to support the
Board’s work.
The money, which is currently being used to improve London’s waste management, will boost
the £60 million already in the Board’s coffers from the Government.
Livingstone was offered the post of chairman on the newly created Board in
2007. But he refused because, he said, he didn’t see a purpose in taking
part in a Board which had no statutory powers (MRW, June 18 2007).
However, Johnson’s decision to be chairman has pleased London Councils,
which represents the capital’s 33 local authorities.
London Councils chairman Merrick Cockell said: “London’s local authorities have
consistently argued that the capital needs a coordinated effort to build on the
boroughs’ work to improve how waste is managed in our city.”
Johnson said: “While the capital’s boroughs have worked hard to
drive up recycling in London,
it is abundantly clear to me that a new, coordinated and collaborative approach
is needed to tackle this pressing issue. This is why I pledged during the
election to work in partnership with, rather than against, London's borough councils, in order to
massively boost recycling and reduce the amount of waste being sent to
landfill.
“Londoners want to be greener and recycle more, but they need to be
offered more hassle-free ways to do so. Together with London's boroughs, I want to deliver new and
innovative solutions to overcome present challenges.”
Kendall Christiansen