Comment

A BID to secure private sector funding for a waste disposal site in Gloucestershire has sparked a row.

A decision by the county council to prepare a bid for PFI (Private Finance Initiative) funding has been slammed by opponents.

A PFI bid potentially secures funding from the private sector for schemes that otherwise would not be affordable by local authorities and enables them to meet the cost over an extended period.

"Without the PFI funding the county council would need to find an extra £170 million over the life of the project, making it unaffordable and Gloucestershire dependant upon a rapidly diminishing landfill capacity to deal with its municipal waste," said Councillor Stan Waddington, cabinet member responsible for the environment.

He denied that the move meant the authority was committed to building an incinerator on the Javelin Park site, Gloucester.

"I know some people will try to pretend we have already made up our minds but I want to be absolutely clear this is not the case," he said.

He added a decision would only be made when all the options had been considered and following public consultation.

However, the opposition Liberal Democrats believe that a decision has already effectively been made and will result in a waste disposal facility that will take both domestic and commercial waste, including material containing toxins, from all over the West Midlands.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, accused the Conservatives of breaking a promise.

"The Tories promised to oppose incinerator and oppose plans to use Gloucestershire as a regional waste centre but now they're building a massive incinerator that will be big enough to take waste from across the region," he added.

12:14pm Thursday 1st May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment