Opposing sides to meet over incinerator


01 July 2006 20:13

A Lib Dem councillor opposed to the incinerator is putting aside political differences and meeting a conservative Norfolk MP next week to raise his concerns over the way a controversial incinerator waste contract was procured by the county council.

County councillor Tim East, who represents Costessey, where the new incinerator is proposed, will meet Norfolk South MP Richard Bacon at his Diss constituency office on Friday.

Rachel Jackson, the clerk to Costessey Parish Council, and Viv Bell, district councillor for Old Costessey will also meet.

He will put his dissatisfaction over the way the procurement process into the new waste treatment contract was carried out by Norfolk County Council and also the way Audit Commission looked into his complaints about it.

The Audit Commission found no wrongdoing by the county council and dismissed Mr East's complaints but Mr East feels the investigation was a “whitewash”.

He said: “This is not about political parties. Richard Bacon is my MP. I am a constituent of his because I live in his constituency. “Just because he is Conservative does not mean I do not speak to him. I am hoping that he will agree with me that the Audit Commission has not been particularly rigorous in their appraisal of the procurement process and I would hope he will take it up for his constituents as the incinerator is proposed for Costessey.

“He could do this perhaps by asking a question in Parliament or getting the Commons public accounts committee of which he is a member to investigate.

“This proposal for a waste incinerator is a strategic one by the county council. There will be perhaps be four in the county but I don't know where.

“I am opposed to the principle of incinerating residual waste altogether when there are other more environmentally friendly ways of dealing with it that are not a threat to public health.”

The Evening News has been campaigning against the incinerator and Labour councillors on the city council and county council last week came out against the proposal.

Mr Bacon was unavailable for comment.

The Waste Recycling Group (WRG) wants to build the incinerator plant on the Longwater Industrial Estate and have always said it will meet safety standards.

In his letter to the Audit Commission, Mr East said that during the bidding process the opportunity to review a bid and increase the bid price was only given to WRG and the other final bidder Sustainable Resource Management Ltd was denied this opportunity opportunity.

He also alleged the process was mismanaged because WRG could still raise their price yet again and that officers had wrongly presented Sustainable Resource Management Limited as not meeting landfill allowance trading scheme targets.

Mr Bacon was unavailable for comment.

Gerry Mole, head of environment and waste at the county council, said: “We are confident that the council has followed best practice in everything we have done during the procurement process.”

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