Labour Waste Chance to Review Incinerator Plan

Labour No Show at Vital Meeting to Discuss Future of Project Transform

8th June 2010

Cllr Allan Andrews, Coventry Conservative Spokesman for City Services, has spoken of his disappointment and surprise that the Labour Group failed to send any representation to a vital meeting on the future of Project Transform, despite holding two of Coventry’s 3 seats on the Member Panel and making a number of public statements on this issue.

Project Transform is a partnership between Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and Solihull MBC to examine options for the future of waste disposal. The Member Advisory Panel is made up of 3 elected members from each Authority. Coventry’s representation is Cllr Lindsley Harvard (Labour), Cllr Tony Skipper (Labour) and Cllr Allan Andrews (Conservative). Only Cllr Andrews attended the meeting held in Solihull today.

The PFI element of Project Transform is now based on building a new Waste to Energy Plant in 2016. Last month local Conservatives called on the new Coalition Government to scrap the PFI credits and instead work with the Councils on developing an alternative plan.

Cllr Allan Andrews, said: “Project Transform could see Coventry signed up to a 25 year PFI contract worth approximately £1bn and a new Super Incinerator built in Whitley. It is therefore amazing that 2 Labour Cabinet Members did not attend, or bother to arrange a substitute, for a key meeting to discuss the future of the project, in particular the intention to submit a Planning Application for a new Incinerator.”

“Whilst I accept that other commitments may prevent a particular member attending there is no excuse for not 1 member of the Labour Group to have attended this meeting as a substitute when the key item to be discussed so directly affected our city.”

He added: “Thankfully Coventry did have a voice at this meeting and I made clear the opposition of my group to the submission of a Planning Application for a new Incinerator at Whitley. I hope at the next meeting at least one member of the Coventry Labour Group will find time to do the same.”