Pulling out of incinerator plan would cost council £900,000

A DECISION ON A CONTRACT AWARD IS IMMINENT

- By STUART ARNOLD Reporter [e-mail]

COSTS associated with the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF) to date have reached more than £9m with a decision on a contract award for its operation imminent.

Redcar and Cleveland Council leader Alec Brown said its share of the project costs was £900,000, a borrowed sum that would become repayable should it decide to “pull out at the 11th hour”.

Cllr Brown said he had been told the other local authority partners in the household waste incinerator due to be built on land at Teesworks, near Grangetown, were committed to the scheme and told a meeting of the council “with or without Redcar and Cleveland it is 100% getting built”.

A spokesman for the project partners said the appraisal of a final tender submitted by waste management company Viridor had concluded and a preferred tenderer was expected to be appointed by the end of the month. He said the project had not been advised of any change to any of the seven councils’ participation in the project - Darlington, County Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton.

Redcar and Cleveland Council previously delegated a final decision to its managing director. But council members recently agreed a motion for its cabinet to consider removing the delegation and making the decision instead, using their executive powers.