Costs of maintaining and servicing Laxey and Baldrine sewage system

Summary

The request sought property counts, population estimates, income, and cost breakdowns for the Laxey and Baldrine sewage networks, along with costs for a failed planning application. Manx Utilities provided property and population data based on census figures but refused to disclose specific income and cost breakdowns due to lack of granular data and the substantial compilation required.

Key Facts

• Laxey drainage network connects 1,081 properties (1,007 domestic, 74 non-domestic).
• Baldrine drainage network connects 383 properties (382 domestic, 1 non-domestic).
• Estimated population for Laxey is 2,326 persons based on 2016 Census data.
• Estimated population for Baldrine is 936 persons based on 2016 Census data.
• Manx Utilities does not hold income data broken down by specific catchment areas as rates are collected in bulk by the Treasury.

Data Disclosed

• 1,081 properties
• 1,007 domestic properties
• 74 non-domestic properties
• 383 properties
• 2.31 persons per domestic property
• 2,326 persons
• 2.45 persons per domestic property
• 936 persons
• 2016 Census
• 2021 Census
• 2014/15 to 2020/21
• Section 11(3)(b)
• Section 8(3)(c)

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11(3)(b) of the Act (substantial compilation or collation)
• Section 8(3)(c) of the Act (not required to create information)

Original Request

The two raw sewage outfalls into Laxey Bay at Garwick and Laxey are the end of the line for two separate sewage networks. 1. How many properties are connected to each of these two networks, listed separately. What are the estimated number of persons connected with these properties. 2. Total income generated from a) initial toilet tax and b) sewage costs on rates, for these two groups of properties for the years 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21. 3. Provide total costs, broken down for capital and operational, of these two systems listed separately for each of the years 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21. 4. Total cost for the unsuccessful planning application for the siting of a sewage works at the Cairns, Old Laxey. To include staffing, consultancy, design and engineering , Publicity and any other connected expenses.

Data Tables (1)

Data Tables (reformatted)

Full Response Text

Manx Utilities PO Box 177, Douglas Isle of Man, IM99 1PS

e: enquiries@manxutilities.im t: 01624 687687 www.manxutilities.im

Our ref: 2402690 24 May 2022

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 26 April 2022 and which states:

"The two raw sewage outfalls into Laxey Bay at Garwick and Laxey are the end of the line for two separate sewage networks. 1. How many properties are connected to each of these two networks, listed separately. What are the estimated number of persons connected with these properties. 2. Total income generated from a) initial toilet tax and b) sewage costs on rates, for these two groups of properties for the years: 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21. 3. Provide total costs, broken down for capital and operational, of these two systems listed separately for each of the years: 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21. 4. Total cost for the unsuccessful planning application for the siting of a sewage works at the Cairns, Old Laxey. To include staffing, consultancy, design and engineering , Publicity and any other connected expenses."

Our response to the questions above are as follows: 1. The Laxey & Baldrine catchments contain the following: Figures of persons per household based on 2016 Census report, freely available: 2016 Census - https://www.gov.im/media/1355784/2016-isle-of-man-census- report.pdf (page 46) Laxey – 1,081 properties are connected to the Laxey drainage network although 1,007 are classed as domestic with the remaining 74 consisting of non-domestic such as schools, clubs, restaurants and shops etc. The 2016 census data indicates 2.31 persons per domestic property, which would equate to 2,326 persons connected to the sewerage system. It must be noted that the Laxey drainage catchment extends outside of the Laxey Village towards Ballacannell. Baldrine – 383 properties are connected to the Baldrine drainage network with all but one being classed as domestic.

The 2016 census data indicated 2.45 persons per domestic property within the Lonan Parish, which would equate to 936 person connected to the sewerage system. It must be must be noted that the Baldrine drainage catchment differs from the Garth parish catchment. Please note that the above data is not used for any subsequent sewage treatment works design due to the varying population equivalents in non-domestic properties. **Update: during this response preparation the 2021 Census data was released by Cabinet Office- https://www.gov.im/media/1376421/2021-isle-of-man-census- report-part-ii_11052022.pdf (page 16). 2. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Manx Utilities does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find some of the information that you have requested as we do not hold the detail in this manner. Treasury are responsible or the issuing and collection of rates. Manx Utilities receive periodic payments for the collection of the ‘Sewerage Rate’ aspect within an overall rates calculation, but these receipts are in bulk so do not allow such estimations.
For further detail of the content, breakdown of rate demands, or any collections, we suggest you contact the Treasury. Alternatively, you can place a further FOI, but when framing any request for information please consider what data they may hold and how they may be able to extract it to form a response; i.e. they will not hold the detail of sewage outfalls or catchment areas. 3. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Manx Utilities does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find some of the information that you have requested as we do not hold the detail in this manner. To extract and/or breakdown the historic financial records, and then further divide into catchment areas would require weeks of work and compilation. Therefore a practical refusal reason applies for this information under section 11(3)(b) of the Act, as to comply with your request for information, would require Manx Utilities to undertake substantial compilation or collation of information that it holds which Manx Utilities is not required to do under the rights of access to information, section 8(3)(c). However to enable us to provide some of the information, we have further divided this request into 2 parts: a) Proactive/planned works – due to how these have historically been accounted for we can only identify and supply some of the information for the last 3 years; Capital spend on individual drainage catchments for previous years is not easily extracted due to the reporting format used at the time by the old contractor. As at the start of 2019/20 Manx Utilities appointed a new sewer rehabilitation contractor on a five-year framework. The financial reporting outputs from the

new contractor differ from the previous contractor and as the capital spend for these two drainage catchments can be extracted for the last three years. Although it cannot be an exact figure due to overheads applied to the whole contract rather than individual catchments. Cost Proactive/planned Capital works was in the region of: 2019/20, Baldrine - £162,351 Laxey - £25,759 2020/21, Baldrine - £38,934 Laxey - £363,136 2021/22, Baldrine - £15,118 Laxey - £280,149 The rehabilitation capital budget is spent on undertaking CCTV sewer surveys and rehabilitating defective sewers and manholes across the whole island in a priority order and not solely in individual drainage catchments. This detail is freely available annually in The IOM Government Budget report ‘pink book’ at: https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/the-treasury/budget/ b) Reactive/emergency works - Manx Utilities holds individual job records for each reported works or call out. These are not collated or recoded to catchments, as they are part of the department daily performance, also labour costs would not automatically be allocated and to do so would require substantial review and compilation. 4. As Manx Utilities is a Statutory Board of the Isle of Man Government there was no charge for the planning application itself.
The total cost to Manx Utilities, including the design, planning and cost consultancy charges to prepare and progress the planning application (submitted 24 January 2020, and determined on 30 July 2020 - 20/00082/B ‘Garff; Erection of replacement sewage treatment works with associated landscaping and bridge for vehicle access’) has been calculated at £386,601. This covered the design for the provision of the following facilities at The Cairn site: a) Site Clearance; b) Inlet works; c) Provision of a new storm tank; d) UV outfall treatment facilities; e) Screening facilities for the outfall flows; f) Motor Control Centre (MCC) and associated buildings; g) Access bridge; h) Two IRBCs for the treatment of sewage. All of the above with the exception of items g) and h) are required for all sewage treatment solutions, which may be required at The Cairn site.
A future “pump away” solution at The Cairn, to whatever destination, will not require g) and h) but will require the addition of a large pumping station (typically below ground level) and some revisions to the designs of b) to f) to take account of these changes. Therefore, we expect that a significant proportion of the costs incurred for work completed to date which covered these design and costing activities can be applied

to future activities planned for the solution of the Garff sewage treatment project at The Cairn site. Please quote the reference number 2402690 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely