Explanatory note

The order sets up seven authorities to take over the waste regulation functions and, in certain areas, the waste disposal functions of the Greater London Council, the Greater Manchester County Council and the Merseyside County Council on their abolition on 1st April 1986. The new authorities come into existence on 1st January 1986 so that they can prepare for the takeover on 1st April 1986.

The order establishes a waste regulation authority for the whole of London which will take over all functions relating to hazardous waste as well as site licensing. It also sets up four authorities with waste disposal functions in London. They cover the areas where the Secretary of State thinks that there could be advantage in having joint arrangements for the discharge of those functions but where no such arrangements had been concluded between the councils involved by 15th November 1985. The authorities set up for Merseyside and Greater Manchester have both waste regulation and waste disposal functions covering the whole county (except that in Wigan the district council will exercise waste disposal functions, there being no advantage in this case in having joint arrangements for these functions).

The order establishes the authorities (article 2), provides for the appointment and replacement of members (articles 3 and 4), adapts the functional legislation to ensure that the authorities have the necessary powers to discharge their functions (article 5) and deals with ancillary matters such as finance and administration (articles 6 to 12). There is also provision conferring power on the Secretary of State to call for schemes to wind up the authorities and to transfer their functions, property, staff, rights and liabilities to their constituent councils (article 13).