Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on (a) local economic growth and (b) the financial resilience of local authorities.

Extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) and the packaging reforms more broadly, will deliver both positive environmental and economic benefits, supporting 21,000 jobs in our nations and regions, and stimulating more than 10 billion pounds investment in recycling capability over the next decade. The impact of pEPR on local economic growth has not been assessed.

Local government in England is expected to receive over £1 billion of new funding in 2025-26 through the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging scheme.

The government will guarantee that if local authorities in England do not receive Extended Producer Responsibility income in line with their November 2024 payment estimates in the first year of the scheme (2025-26), they will provide an in-year top up.

This funding will cover the existing costs local authorities incur for managing household packaging waste, provide additional funding for new legal duties, and support much needed investment in the waste and recycling industry.