LIBERAL DEMOCRATS DEMAND REVIEW OF INCINERATOR PLAN

11.41.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 15th May 2008

The Liberal Democrat group on Gloucestershire County Council have written to the Chief Executive of the Council, Pete Bungard, requesting a 'Post Implementation Review' of the waste Outline Business Case submitted to the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs.

The OBC was sent to DEFRA as soon as the Tory cabinet approved the plan, as it was considered an "urgent item" to meet a DEFRA deadline. But if it had been published earlier, it could have been subject to greater scrutiny, possibly including a call-in of the decision.

The OBC involves a plan to build a 270,000 tonne incinerator on Javelin Park near Gloucester, with prevailing winds which could blow toxic commercial waste residue over Gloucester and Cheltenham.

The Tories have claimed that this is not their preferred solution, but the DEFRA guidelines required that any council submitting bids should include a preferred plan in the business case. The Liberal Democrat group wants the Tories to come clean on their plan to build a waste incinerator in Gloucestershire.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Gloucestershire County Council said, "The Tories are trying to fool us all with the pretence that their submission to government for PFI credits does not commit the council to building a waste incinerator in Gloucestershire, when it quite clearly does. They have approved plans to compulsory purchase Javelin Park for a waste site and this is where they want to locate the incinerator. It will blow all its emissions over the most densely populated area of the county, Gloucester & Cheltenham - it's a disgrace."

Councillor Roger Brown, group spokesman on green issues, agreed. "The Tories cannot be trusted. In their manifesto they promised to oppose a waste incinerator and now they have agreed to submit a business case to the Labour government to do just that - what hypocrisy."