Aggies tax does help - but not in construction

The controversial Aggregates Levy has proved it can actually have some benefit - but not for the construction industry.

The Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund has funded a recent archaeological dig at a gravel pit near Lynford in Norfolk. The excavation, directed by Dr Bill Boismier of Norfolk County Council's archaeology unit, unearthed evidence suggesting that 50,000 years ago, mammoth meat was a substantial part of the diet of the Neanderthal Man.

The excavation is the first to be financed by the gravel industry via the Sustainability Fund, and begs the question of what the Fund should be used for.

When the Levy was introduced on 1 April 2002, the Customs & Excise official document on the Levy said the Sustainability Fund would be used to promote environmentally beneficial practices such as maximising the use of recycled aggregate.

However, a consultation document by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) outlined possible areas of distribution for the Fund, including 'conserving the historic environment'.

DEFRA claimed aggregates extraction has adverse impacts on a range of historic sites, and suggested using the fund to support the management, conservation and interpretation of historic sites affected by terrestrial or marine aggregates extraction, including preserving archaeological sites.