ARCHIVE: Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC)

Local authorities - Fees and charges

Latest news

The Secretary of State has prescribed schemes in order for local authorities to levy fees and charges from industries which operate processes under two air pollution regimes:

  1. Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC): Part B activities/installations are subject to local authority air pollution control only.  This supersedes the LAPC regime from April 2008.
  2. Local Authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (LA-IPPC): Part A2 activities/installations which are subject to local authority multi-media regulation (i.e. regulated for emissions to air, water, land, vibration, noise etc).

The two regimes were given effect by the Pollution Prevention and Control Act (PPC) and regulations thereunder.  They transferred into the new Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPR) framework on 6 April 2008.  Guidance for local authorities and other stakeholders with an interest in the PPC provisions of the EPR can be found in the General Guidance Manual.

These charges are set by the Secretary of State after consultation. Details on each of these - in so far as they currently apply - are set out below.

A “risk method” is applied giving a risk rating (low, medium or high) to each industrial installation dependent upon a variety of factors such as the inherent risk of the activity to the environment, operator performance, and the (reasonable) time taken by the regulating officers to carry out their work. From April 2009 the risk method applies to all LAPPC and LA-IPPC activities.

Fees and charges scheme 2011 / 2012

We are curently consulting on the fees and charges scheme for 2011/12. The consultation period runs for 12 weeks until Wednesday 22 December 2010. This is a part of a full biennial review focusing on a percentage increase to reflect inflation minus the Government's collective target for cash-releasing efficiencies for local authorities, as well as the findings of a cost accounting survey cross referenced to data from oour annual LAPC statistical survey

2010 schemes

Reduced Charges due to Mothballing or Reduced Operating Levels

Defra has introduced new arrangements allowing operators to request reduced annual subsistence charges for up to 24 months if they have temporarily mothballed their installation, or are operating below the level at which a permit is required, for a period of at least 12 months, and still want to retain their permit. Once the local authority agrees to the request subsistence fees are reduced by 60% of their risk rated fee for each full month that the qualifying criteria are met. Guidance proformas and revisions to the charging schemes can be found below.

Page last modified: 8 October 2010