Fear taxpayers may face £1m burner bid bill
Wednesday 15th September 2010, 11:15AM BST.
Shropshire taxpayers could be landed with a bill of more than £1 million if waste firm Veolia decides to appeal a decision to refuse planning permission for its incinerator in Shrewsbury, it was claimed today.
Alan Mosley, leader of the Labour group at Shropshire Council, said he had been told by council officers that the authority could be liable.
He said that under a clause in the multi-million pound 27-year waste contract signed with Veolia in 2007, the council would be forced to pay 90 per cent of the appeal costs if a barrister decided that there was more than a 50 per cent chance of such an action being successful.
Councillor Mosley now plans to raise the issue with Shirehall officials, and possibly through the scrutiny process.
He said the contract was developed through the former Shropshire Waste Partnership which included the former county, district and borough authorities.
But the almost 1,000-page contract, was always discussed in private session because of commercial confidentiality.
Councillor Mosley, who spoke out against the proposed burner at Battlefield when it was rejected by members of the strategic planning committee, said: “I’m disgusted that this clause is in the contract.”
Andy Goldsmith, council assistant director, public protection, said it was inappropriate to discuss commercially sensitive matters.
He added: “The council is working with Veolia to explore the way forward.”
No decisions over appeals have yet been made, he said.
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The contract states that Veolia can claim costs only if there’s more than a 50% chance of an appeal succeeding. It seems to me that as the proposal is against the waste local plan, was voted out unanimously by 10 Shropshire councillors and is opposed by the local MP, adjoining landowners and many others the chances of success are minimal.
I therefore hope that Shropshire Council will encourage or instruct Veolia not to appeal thus saving much time, effort and money.
It’s time we worked out more sustainable and acceptable means of dealing with Shropshire’s declining waste.
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Shropshire Council should offer to fund the objectors. It would be far cheaper to fund the objectors (and council tax payers) than to give a million pounds to a french firm.
In both Derby and Nottinghamshire council tax money is being spent fighting council tax payers who want a fair public inquiry.
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The council should perhaps seek to recover some of these costs from the unelected and highly paid executives who pushed through the contract in 2007, many of whom have now left the council for other lucrative public jobs, but I doubt it will even try. I do not blame our elected councillors of the time, as they probably were not given all the facts, judging by the comments in council after the contract was signed. However, I was pleased to see that the councillors listened to all the facts at the incinerator hearing on 1 Sep in order to take an informed decision. I only hope that Veolia decides not to appeal this decision, and now works with our council towards a cheaper and better solution to our household waste.
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Yet another ‘DUMBO’ decision made by councilors in 2007 for agreeing to this clause being included in ant such agreement.
Talk about going into agreement blind! It beggars belief anyone can be so stupid.
That said, if we are stuck with this charge, then it is a small price to pay for the health and well-being of future generations of Shrewsbury residents.
Look what was found to pay for various Concrete construction within the so called ‘Loop’.
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