Waste group rubbishes council plans

BAN Waste was set up 8 years ago by Newcastle City Council following a public outcry over plans to double the size of Byker Incinerator.

The aim of the group was to bring officers, councillors and residents together to explore and seek a consensus on the best waste strategy for the city.

In 2003 the Council Executive agreed not to incinerate waste in the city and the Liberal Democrats promised not to support waste incineration.
Despite this, it is claimed that Council Waste officers insisted that incineration was put down as a waste option.

A survey by the Council in 2006 of the views of the residents of Newcastle firmly rejected waste incineration and in March 2008 Council Officers agreed to provide 8 weeks for BAN Waste to examine and comment on the final waste proposals.

The relationship broke down after officers gave the group a copy of its 65 page report 3 days before Christmas and asked for a response by 5 January - a move described by BAN Waste Chair, Paul Roberts, as "an insult and a disgrace".

BAN Waste member Nick Fray said:

"There is little doubt in our mind that this is a deliberate attempt to exclude community input from the decision making process".

Spokesperson for BAN Waste, Dan Alliband, said:

"The waste strategy is the biggest decision Councillors will have to make and will decide the city's waste policies for the next 20 years. The fact that BAN Waste has been given just 6 days over the Christmas holidays to comment on this complex report is a slap in the face for democracy.

We call on the Scrutiny Panel to recommend to the Executive that the council follow their own guidelines on community consultation and delay a decision until a proper consultation has taken place. By council we mean Lib Dem and Labour councillors, as well as council officers''."

Watch this space....