In the early part of 2015, Doncaster College formed a partnership with Worksop Town FC for a Sports Academy.

This type of arrangement is not one for which the then Education and Funding Agency would need to provide any formal approval.

Doncaster College had difficulties in fulfilling their side of any proposed partnership agreement and subsequently withdrew from the arrangement.

In light of the above, Doncaster College has not worked out of area with Worksop Town FC in 2015 or in any subsequent years.

The principal of North Nottinghamshire College contacted Worksop Town FC to discuss the development of the Sports Academy but received no response. There is no record of any discussion with West Nottinghamshire College.

The former Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, Robert Halfon, wrote to the hon. Member in April 2017 in response to concerns he had raised about Worksop Town football academy.

I have asked officials to meet with the hon. Member to discuss further action in relation to his correspondence on this issue.

Performance data on students at the end of 16-18 study in 2015/16, at The College of West Anglia, is available as part of the school performance tables¹.

16-19 provision at the Worksop Town FC academy was funded by the Department in 2015/16 through a sub-contracting arrangement managed by the College of West Anglia. The Department does not hold student information at the level of Worksop Town FC academy.

¹ Data for this institution can be found here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/130763.

The education provision delivered at Worksop Town academy was delivered via a sub-contracting relationship with the College of West Anglia and under such arrangements, the students were enrolled by, and were the responsibility of, the college.

16 to 19 college funding is calculated using a funding formula based on lagged student numbers, so there is no specific breakdown of how that funding relates to individual students or provision.

The department does not hold this information.

Ministers have not held any such discussions.

I have asked officials to meet with the hon. Member to discuss further action in relation to his correspondence on this issue.

16-19 provision at the Worksop Town football academy was funded by the Department in 2015/16 through a sub-contracting arrangement managed by the College of West Anglia. A spot visit was made by quality assessors from the College of West Anglia to the Worksop site on 17 March 2016.

16-19 college funding is calculated using a funding formula based on lagged student numbers, and so there is no specific breakdown of how that funding relates to individual students or provision. The Department does not hold student information at the level of detail that would allow a response to the second and third elements of the question.

The Department does not hold this information.

The site at Sandy lane was abandoned in October 2016 and from this point onwards there has been no site management. There have however been regular Police and Fire service patrols and the site is monitored using CCTV.

The Environment Agency is working with Local Resilience Forum members, including Bassetlaw District Council, the Nottinghamshire Fire Service, Nottinghamshire County Council and Public Health England, to manage the risks at the site and is acting to clear the waste that also poses a risk to human health.

There are three main waste streams which have been left at the site: mixed non-hazardous combustible waste in and around the transfer building; mixed construction and demolition (C&D) non-combustible waste outside and the bags of polyurethane foam, mostly deposited in the centre of the site. The table below outlines the estimated costs associated with each waste stream. The cost of this clearance, excluding landfill tax have not been included as the landfill tax is not waived, which has been previously communicated by HMT to the HM for Bassetlaw.

¹The tonnages have been estimated by officers’ observations on site. A more accurate assessment of the volumes of waste present at the site would cost around £5K.

The main environmental and health risk from the site is from the polyurethane foam left on site. The Environment Agency, county and district councils have set funds aside and are making plans to remove this foam as soon as possible.

The Environment Agency has also been working in close partnership with Bassetlaw District Council, Notts Fire & Rescue Service, Police, the County Council and Public Health England, to create a tactical plan which will be implemented in the event of a fire. The Notts Fire & Rescue Service will shortly be entering the site and will attempt to move wastes around the site to allow for fire breaks and better access.

The other environmental risks are in relation to the degradation of the waste. The Environment Agency, Fire and Rescue Service and Bassetlaw DC do have powers to intervene in exceptional circumstances where there is a serious risk to the environment and health.

The Environment Agency is continuing its investigation into the former operators of the site. There is close contact about the site at official level across Government agencies. The Secretary of State has not discussed the site with Cabinet colleagues since his appointment on 11 June.

The site at Sandy lane was abandoned in October 2016 and from this point onwards there has been no site management. There have however been regular Police and Fire service patrols and the site is monitored using CCTV.

The Environment Agency is working with Local Resilience Forum members, including Bassetlaw District Council, the Nottinghamshire Fire Service, Nottinghamshire County Council and Public Health England, to manage the risks at the site and is acting to clear the waste that also poses a risk to human health.

There are three main waste streams which have been left at the site: mixed non-hazardous combustible waste in and around the transfer building; mixed construction and demolition (C&D) non-combustible waste outside and the bags of polyurethane foam, mostly deposited in the centre of the site. The table below outlines the estimated costs associated with each waste stream. The cost of this clearance, excluding landfill tax have not been included as the landfill tax is not waived, which has been previously communicated by HMT to the HM for Bassetlaw.

¹The tonnages have been estimated by officers’ observations on site. A more accurate assessment of the volumes of waste present at the site would cost around £5K.

The main environmental and health risk from the site is from the polyurethane foam left on site. The Environment Agency, county and district councils have set funds aside and are making plans to remove this foam as soon as possible.

The Environment Agency has also been working in close partnership with Bassetlaw District Council, Notts Fire & Rescue Service, Police, the County Council and Public Health England, to create a tactical plan which will be implemented in the event of a fire. The Notts Fire & Rescue Service will shortly be entering the site and will attempt to move wastes around the site to allow for fire breaks and better access.

The other environmental risks are in relation to the degradation of the waste. The Environment Agency, Fire and Rescue Service and Bassetlaw DC do have powers to intervene in exceptional circumstances where there is a serious risk to the environment and health.

The Environment Agency is continuing its investigation into the former operators of the site. There is close contact about the site at official level across Government agencies. The Secretary of State has not discussed the site with Cabinet colleagues since his appointment on 11 June.

The site at Sandy lane was abandoned in October 2016 and from this point onwards there has been no site management. There have however been regular Police and Fire service patrols and the site is monitored using CCTV.

The Environment Agency is working with Local Resilience Forum members, including Bassetlaw District Council, the Nottinghamshire Fire Service, Nottinghamshire County Council and Public Health England, to manage the risks at the site and is acting to clear the waste that also poses a risk to human health.

There are three main waste streams which have been left at the site: mixed non-hazardous combustible waste in and around the transfer building; mixed construction and demolition (C&D) non-combustible waste outside and the bags of polyurethane foam, mostly deposited in the centre of the site. The table below outlines the estimated costs associated with each waste stream. The cost of this clearance, excluding landfill tax have not been included as the landfill tax is not waived, which has been previously communicated by HMT to the HM for Bassetlaw.

¹The tonnages have been estimated by officers’ observations on site. A more accurate assessment of the volumes of waste present at the site would cost around £5K.

The main environmental and health risk from the site is from the polyurethane foam left on site. The Environment Agency, county and district councils have set funds aside and are making plans to remove this foam as soon as possible.

The Environment Agency has also been working in close partnership with Bassetlaw District Council, Notts Fire & Rescue Service, Police, the County Council and Public Health England, to create a tactical plan which will be implemented in the event of a fire. The Notts Fire & Rescue Service will shortly be entering the site and will attempt to move wastes around the site to allow for fire breaks and better access.

The other environmental risks are in relation to the degradation of the waste. The Environment Agency, Fire and Rescue Service and Bassetlaw DC do have powers to intervene in exceptional circumstances where there is a serious risk to the environment and health.

The Environment Agency is continuing its investigation into the former operators of the site. There is close contact about the site at official level across Government agencies. The Secretary of State has not discussed the site with Cabinet colleagues since his appointment on 11 June.

The site at Sandy lane was abandoned in October 2016 and from this point onwards there has been no site management. There have however been regular Police and Fire service patrols and the site is monitored using CCTV.

The Environment Agency is working with Local Resilience Forum members, including Bassetlaw District Council, the Nottinghamshire Fire Service, Nottinghamshire County Council and Public Health England, to manage the risks at the site and is acting to clear the waste that also poses a risk to human health.

There are three main waste streams which have been left at the site: mixed non-hazardous combustible waste in and around the transfer building; mixed construction and demolition (C&D) non-combustible waste outside and the bags of polyurethane foam, mostly deposited in the centre of the site. The table below outlines the estimated costs associated with each waste stream. The cost of this clearance, excluding landfill tax have not been included as the landfill tax is not waived, which has been previously communicated by HMT to the HM for Bassetlaw.

¹The tonnages have been estimated by officers’ observations on site. A more accurate assessment of the volumes of waste present at the site would cost around £5K.

The main environmental and health risk from the site is from the polyurethane foam left on site. The Environment Agency, county and district councils have set funds aside and are making plans to remove this foam as soon as possible.

The Environment Agency has also been working in close partnership with Bassetlaw District Council, Notts Fire & Rescue Service, Police, the County Council and Public Health England, to create a tactical plan which will be implemented in the event of a fire. The Notts Fire & Rescue Service will shortly be entering the site and will attempt to move wastes around the site to allow for fire breaks and better access.

The other environmental risks are in relation to the degradation of the waste. The Environment Agency, Fire and Rescue Service and Bassetlaw DC do have powers to intervene in exceptional circumstances where there is a serious risk to the environment and health.

The Environment Agency is continuing its investigation into the former operators of the site. There is close contact about the site at official level across Government agencies. The Secretary of State has not discussed the site with Cabinet colleagues since his appointment on 11 June.

Location by location assessments of all possible line closures are generally not conducted as they would require a significant number of variables and assumptions. An estimate in this specific instance has therefore not been made. The industry focuses on developing robust contingency planning processes to minimise the impact to the customer in the event of a disruption.

The previous Financial Secretary, in a letter to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw dated 19^th April 2017, set out that a waiver of landfill tax for such cases would set a perverse incentive which may lead to the abandonment of other such waste sites. Therefore it would be counterproductive to waive the landfill tax liability in this case. I agree with this assessment.

HM Treasury has made no estimate as to the value of the site at Sandy Lane, Worksop.

HM Treasury has not held any meetings with other government departments concerning the removal of landfill tax from abandoned waste sites owned by the Crown Estate.

The previous Financial Secretary, in a letter to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw dated 19^th April 2017, set out that a waiver of landfill tax for such cases would set a perverse incentive which may lead to the abandonment of other such waste sites. Therefore it would be counterproductive to waive the landfill tax liability in this case. I agree with this assessment.

HM Treasury has made no estimate as to the value of the site at Sandy Lane, Worksop.

HM Treasury has not held any meetings with other government departments concerning the removal of landfill tax from abandoned waste sites owned by the Crown Estate.

It is the responsibility of individual fire and rescue authorities to assess and plan for potential risks at sites in their local area, as part of the process of the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for their area. The scale and costs of meeting these needs is therefore a matter for the local fire and rescue service.

The Chief Fire Officers Association have worked closely with Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH), and Environment Agency, to provide industry advice on minimising fire risk.

The Home Office has made no estimation. It is for each local fire and rescue authority to assess the risk from fire and rescue related risks in its area and determine how best to allocate its resources across its prevention, protection and operational response functions.

The Environment Agency is currently pursuing the former owners and operators of the Trent Valley Recycling (TVR) site and all those connected for offences under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.

The Environment Agency has been working with partners from the Nottinghamshire Local Resilience Forum (LRF) to identify the risks associated with the site. The main risk to the public is the potential for the abandoned waste on site to catch fire. There is a low risk of this waste self-combusting, but there is a risk of someone gaining access to the site and deliberately setting fire to the waste which could result in a major fire. The site, however, is fenced off and the entrance secured.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has produced a tactical fire plan for the site, outlining the steps they would take in such an event. All partners have contributed to this plan and a Tactical Liaison Group will be established in the event of a major fire.

The Local Resilience Forum has estimated that a major fire at the site is likely to last a number of weeks. A fire at a similar site in north Nottinghamshire in October 2016 required a fire service presence for 6 weeks and cost in the region of £1.5 million. Other partners in the LRF would have costs associated with tackling a major fire also.

The Environment Agency has revoked Trent Valley Recycling’s environmental permit and is investigating the former owners and operators of the site. It is also working with the local resilience forum to ensure that plans are in place to deal with any eventualities on the site. I have not made any representations to Ministerial colleagues about the site.