‘Secrecy over waste will cost taxpayer’
Jul 22 2008 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
LEADERS south of the Tyne have been told that their secrecy behind possible incinerator plans could end up costing taxpayers £70m.
Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland councils are to ask waste companies to put together options to get rid of thousands of tonnes of household rubbish without sending it to landfills.
The South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership has considered a variety of options, including burning waste for energy and recycling it through a process called autoclaving.
The partnership is set to receive Government backing for a £70m Private Finance Initiative scheme, which will see them ask companies to put forward a business case based on the best option for dealing with 50% of the waste.
The decision to ask Whitehall to provisionally approve a possible incinerator has angered residents, with police being called to remove protesters from a Sunderland council meeting earlier this year.
Now Wearside councillors have warned that the only way to prevent the project being halted by further public opposition is to be open about all the options.
The partnership has admitted that any delay could increase the cost by around £69m.
Sunderland Conservative leader Lee Martin said the council could avoid costly delays by telling voters the information currently only available to a few businesses.
He said: “It is a huge amount of public money, with massive potential in terms of public health, property values for people living near the final site and congestion on the roads.
“There has to be a public discussion before they drive this through.
“We face a situation where businesses have a bigger say in what will be on our doorstep than residents.
“Basically whichever company can be bothered to put forward a business case for this scheme will have a huge say over what we end up with.
“We have spent the last year calling on the councils to be open about this.
“If they only get a suitable business case for an incinerator and then have to face large-scale public opposition, it will put millions of pounds on to the costs.
“And that need for openness is especially true in Sunderland, where we are likely to host whatever is put forward.
“I’m 100% sure it will be Sunderland, and I’m 90% sure they are looking at land next to Nissan near the A19.”
The waste partnership has a secret list of possible sites, which many opposition councillors say makes a case for basing any new facilities in or near Washington.
One Gateshead councillor said there was a view that since Sunderland had the most land and the largest population, it should take a larger share.
Tony Alder, project director for South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership, said: “Waste companies will be invited to put forward potential waste treatment solutions.
“We remain open to considering all types of technologies.”
