More twists and turns over incinerator plans

MOTION TO WITHDRAW SUPPORT FOR PROJECT PROMPTS SPECIAL MEETING

- By STUART ARNOLD

REDCAR and Cleveland councillors have stepped back from a proposal to withdraw support for a £300m household waste incinerator being built on their patch.

A motion by independent councillor Dr Tristan Learoyd labelled the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility (TVERF) an environmental, financial and health outcome “disaster”. The motion, which prompted a special meeting of the local authority so a further debate could be held, said political, financial and officer support for the project should be withdrawn with immediate effect.

Council leader Alec Brown said his Labour group would have abstained, but in the end the substantive motion was not voted upon and instead an amended motion, which superseded it, was agreed by a majority of council members in a show of hands. This recommended that the cabinet considered the pros and cons of the scheme before any contract award was made and the executive power in terms of any final decision should lay with them, not delegated to the council’s managing director as was previously the case.

A project board has been responsible for procurement of the facility, due to be built on land at Teesworks, near to Grangetown, and is currently appraising a bid from waste services firm Viridor. However, with several other North East councils involved in the partnership bringing about the scheme, who are also sharing the procurement costs, there will need to be sign off from each one on agreement on a contract award.