Tories force Council Concessions on Incinerator Plan!

Tories on Bristol City Council have forced the Labour-run Administration into a humiliating climb-down over key aspects of their controversial Waste Strategy, which was widely seen as favouring a giant incinerator over more environmentally-friendly alternatives.

At a heated meeting last night, politicians of the "hung" Authority clashed over whether to rule-out the incinerator option and support a Government bid for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits to support a waste disposal solution.

But after a two-and-a-half hour debate, Conservative councillors forced through two amendments which won for the first time a pledge to keep all technology options on the table but declared that "the majority of council Members opposed a 'feed-the-beast' mass burn incinerator."

They also won major concessions over more robust cross-party scrutiny of the Strategy and assurances of "rigorous" environmental and financial assessments of the technology options before a final decision is made in 2010.

Tory Leader Councillor Richard Eddy acknowledged that it was vital for the Council to make the right choice over its future waste disposal in order to avoid punitive landfill penalties but he cautioned against "sleepwalking into poor and ill-considered decisions, which we will live to regret."

Cllr Eddy (Con, Bishopsworth) continued: "Conservative policy has always been absolutely clear. We want the most effective means of long-term waste treatment, which is good for the environment and the taxpayer.

"But we have consistently opposed Labour's preference for a mass-burn incinerator and I am delighted that we have now won an explicit assurance that Bristol and the West of England Partnership will look at all viable technology options.

"Moreover, we have won guarantees over more effective cross-party scrutiny of the proposals and secured a pledge of rigorous environmental and financial tests."

But Cllr Eddy lashed-out at the City's Liberal Democrats, who had tried to stop the second Conservative amendment, which recorded that the majority of Council were opposed to a 'big burner', from being debated.

He said: "Over the last year, Bristol Lib Dems have sought to masquerade as the only opponents of incineration.

"In fact, when it came to the crunch, they tried to scupper the Conservative motion which puts on record that Council is opposed to a giant 'feed-the-beast' plant.

"I hope Bristolians will recognise the Lib Dems for what they truly are - environmental charlatans who are prepared to risk our citizens' health and financial well-being for the sake of petty party political point-scoring."

Back to Local News Index 12 September 2008