THE future operation and management of the Middle River civic amenity site has been secured after Douglas Borough Council and the commissioners of Onchan, Braddan, Laxey, Lonan and Santon signed an agreement to form the Eastern District civic amenity site joint committee.

The agreement, which is now in force, provides the framework for the six local authorities to assume shared responsibility to manage the waste management site until December 2021 and replaces the previous arrangement.

For the past three years, Douglas Borough Council has operated the facility as an agent of the Department of Local Government and the Environment and latterly the Department of Infrastructure.

Under the terms of the agreement, the joint committee will serve as a policy-making and reviewing body responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of the facility, with Douglas Borough Council holding the site as a licensee of the Department of Infrastructure.

The site’s operating costs are to be borne proportionally by the six local authorities as follows:

•        Douglas Borough Council 63.30%

•        Onchan 17.97%

•        Braddan 11.7%

•        Laxey 2.85%

•        Lonan 2.48%

•        Santon 1.7%

A meeting will be held in the near future to appoint the committee members. At the signing of the agreement at Douglas Borough Council’s Strathallan suite, council leader David Christian said, “This agreement demonstrates how we six local authorities are more than capable of working in partnership, without any government influence, to form a joint committee that represents our respective ratepayers.

“It will ensure the long-term efficient management of the Eastern District civic amenity site. In operating the site the Council has been able to make savings through the sale of materials which has resulted in our making payments back to our partner authorities for two consecutive years and I am confident this new shared responsibility will lead to further cost efficiencies.”

Braddan Commissioners’ vice-chairman Andrew Jessop echoed Councillor Christian’s comments, saying, “Forming this agreement shows how well we can work together and “keep our respective houses in order” to the benefit of our local communities.”