• I ASKED a question in Islington Council chamber last week with regards the election process for members of the board of the North London Waste Authority (NLWA).

The answer I received was more frustrating rather than illuminating. First, I want to make it abundantly clear that my frustration is not with Cllr Diarmaid Ward, nor indeed any of our other fine democratically elected councillors.

Rather, my frustration is with an unelected and totally undemocratic body, the NLWA, which was not chosen by any of the voters of Islington, nor indeed any of the millions of voters of any of the seven boroughs of north London.

The NLWA have vast powers, manage enormous budgets, and make decisions which have crucial financial, health, environmental and social implications for many millions of people across many boroughs.

Yet most voters are not even aware that such a body even exists, never mind have they ever been allowed any democratic say about who should chair or sit on the board of such an authority.

Cllr Ward stressed his belief in democracy as part of his response and, duly received a resounding applause. I failed to get similar applause, not because I do not believe in democracy, but just simply because I failed to mention the actual word democracy.

I certainly do believe in democracy and my question was whether what is happening in practice really is actually democracy?

When we vote for our councillors we vote for our choices of good people to represent us at both at ward and borough of Islington level.

Many are also aware that some of those councillors will go on to be appointed to represent our views within Islington Council on matters such as housing, transport, the environment and planning.

However, the millions of voters across vast areas of the seven boroughs of north London are not allowed similar democratic choices when it comes to waste management.

Instead, the chair and all the board members of the NLWA often come from boroughs other than our own and are simply just determined for us by a select few.

This year the confirmation of their appointments even happened behind closed doors! So they have not been chosen by, nor are they democratically accountable to, voters.

Then there is also the matter of LondonEnergy. Similar questions could be asked about councillors appointed to the board of LondonEnergy Ltd, which benefits enormously from NLWA contracts to run the Edmonton incinerator. Some of the board members of LondonEnergy are also, or were recently, on the board of NLWA.

That is a very alarming duality of interests; tasked with seeking the most environmentally and socially responsible waste management solutions, but also trying to demonstrate that the enormous sums given the company to build such an oversized incinerator were fully justified and will, in future, bring a profit or at least be recouped.

Furthermore the directors of LondonEnergy are paid very handsomely, with the highest-paid director of LondonEnergy earning £620,000 in 2020.

The lack of accountability, the 15 years of continual reselection of Clyde Loakes as NLWA chair, along with the structure of the NLWA and its relation to LondonEnergy all throw into serious question the accountability and democracy of the authority.

Surely it would be more “democratic” if the chair and board of the NLWA were decided by the electorate, just as similar cross-borough bodies and representatives, such as the Greater London Authority and the London mayor are?

JEREMY MAHER, N7