What DEFRA is planning
DEFRA are planning on running a number of focus group events as a means of consulting business on proposals for next years' allocation of BREW (Business Resource Efficiency and Waste) Programme money to its delivery bodies. After having delivered £284 million worth of initiatives, funded through landfill tax money, the three year Programme finishes at the end of March 2008 with the exact future of the fund being announced in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
DEFRA are confident that some form of business support programme should continue to exist and are therefore planning for a fourth year. The outcome of these meeting would therefore also contribute to the evidence on the need for such continuation, which EEF strongly supports.
How you can make a difference
As members of the BREW Steering Committee, EEF has been asked to suggest contacts of industry representatives who would be interested in participating in one of the events, to take place in early November (no date/venue has been set yet).
Vanessa Fandrich (Environmental Policy Adviser at EEF Broadway House) will be attending on behalf of members but would encourage those of you that have had previous experience with any of the BREW delivery bodies (e.g. Envirowise, Carbon Trust, NISP, WRAP, etc) or those that wish they could make more use of the services on offer, which you already paid for through landfill tax, to attend if at all possible.
Alternatively, we would be happy to receive your comments on your experience with any of the delivery bodies.
Contact us
If you are interested please let Vanessa know as soon as possible and we will forward your contact details (email is sufficient).
Don’t worry, you are not committing yourself to anything at this stage, other than saying that you are happy to receive an invitation to one of the events. You can then decide whether the time/location suits you and whether you will attend or not.