Lib Dems Demand End to Incinerator as Covanta Concerns Increase

10.50.00am GMT Fri 12th Mar 2010

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats are strengthening their calls for the Covanta Incinerator proposals to be scrapped altogether

Dramatic news has emerged which has raised serious doubts over the plans of Tory-run Bucks County Council for a giant incinerator at Rookery Pit near Stewartby. It is reported that Buckinghamshire County Council is restarting its waste tendering process again after legal restraints were found to affect the land upon which US waste management giant Covanta planned to locate a 600,000 tonne incinerator.

Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats are now strengthening their calls for the Covanta Incinerator proposals to be scrapped altogether. Local campaigners against the Incinerator, Cllr Tim Hill, (Lib Dem, Wootton ward) and Mayor Dave Hodgson are now convinced that the Covanta proposals must be stopped as Buckinghamshire County Council go 'back to the drawing board' because of concerns about the Company and commercial aspects of its bid.

Cllr Tim Hill said, "Not only are the plans for a Buckinghamshire Incinerator in Bedfordshire flawed but it appears the commercial viability of the plan on this site is also flawed. Bucks County Council is having to reopen tendering but it won't let those affected by this proposal know what concerns they have. Why are Bedfordshire residents being kept in the dark by this secretive Tory Council?"

Dave Hodgson, Liberal Democrat Mayor of Bedford Borough, confirmed, "The 'issue' that Covanta now have sets the whole process back over 14 months. The wheels are now coming off the Covanta juggernaut and hopefully this means it won't be coming through the villages of Bedfordshire."

Buckinghamshire County Council are not saying why they are reopening the tendering process and are siting commercial confidentiality for not letting the public know why they are having to start the process all over again.

Cllr Tim Hill concluded, "This just shows that Bedford Borough Council was right all along when we said that this site was not suitable for incineration. Hopefully Buckinghamshire County Council will now see sense and reconsider all the options for dealing with their own waste, but in their own county."