An absolutely shocking and disgusting report from the Chair of Cornwall Waste Forum St. Dennis Branch (CWFSDB), highlighting the complete waste, arrogance and deception by Senior Cornwall Council officers, over several years, who seem quite satisfied to destroy lives, communities and the environment, as long as they get their way with big business and big contracts.
The report below beggars belief and reminds you of how power corrupts the mind completely, whether you're in Africa or in Cornwall, at the expense of people and the living environment that surrounds us:
Incinerator
With at least three shutdowns in November last year and no electricity being produced since mid-June 2018, problems continue to surface, the most significant being the failure of the steam turbine to generate electricity. The turbine failure was been addressed by returning it to the manufacturers for refurbishment and is now back on site waiting for faulty pipework to be replaced. Serious problems with the pipework were only discovered after the steam turbine was removed. It is anticipated that the steam turbine will be back in commission some time this month to enable electricity to be generated once again. According to visitors to the plant leaking pipes appear to be the norm.
We are also aware of the many breakdowns of the feeder auger conveyor that has required a series of repairs.
The two roof damage incidents are examples of failures to adhere to regulations as confirmed by final engineering reports that found these incidents were caused by failures in design, materials and construction, along with the failure to realise that winds can come from various directions. According to the Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2015/18 (CDM), the final finger of blame points to the customer who is responsible for ensuring it employs appropriate supervision of the project. Cornwall Council is the customer.
There is no doubt in my mind that the opinions of construction engineers living in our village who openly admitted that this project was the most “cheapskate” they had ever worked on, is proving correct.
As the Suez incinerator has failed to generate any electricity for the last eight months, we have challenged Cornwall Council about this failure, which removes the incinerator’s qualification as a recovery facility; this also impacts the Waste Hierarchy and the 2008 and 2018 EC/UK Waste Framework Directive. More very relevant repercussions arise, as this failure does not meet the interpretation of Annex 11 of the Waste Framework Directive. This has serious implications, as this rules out any binding interpretations for qualifying for R1 efficiency. As this failure removes any qualification as a recovery facility, it has the potential to attract attention from the Environment Agency.
Interviews about this very significant failure have been shared by the BBC, ITV and the National press.
The failure in design of the incinerator furnace feed opening is now well known to restrict the acceptance of bulky waste. To overcome this restriction a complex shredding operation was required, to reduce the waste to a size so that can be fed into the incinerator. A shredding operation was introduced and has been in operation shredding the bulky waste for some time in the waste transfer shed at the Connon Bridge landfill site. It is processing 400 tonnes of waste a week and requires five items of mobile plant to operate the process, a tracked shredder; three-wheeled front loaders and a road sweeper. It is reported that the whole operation is costing £1.4 million a year and it is calculated that it will create an additional 100,000 HGV miles a year along with associated haulage costs while producing various CO., HC. PM., and NOx emissions.
Not the most positive advertisement for Cornwall Council’s regard for controlling of costs, combating poor air quality and tackling climate change and sustainability issues.
To date this shredding process has been operating at Connon Bridge without planning permission, this has now been applied for.
Obviously as we would expect our friends at Connon Bridge are opposing the planning application on various grounds, we understand their frustration at the continued adversity.
We wish them well.
It has only recently come to our attention that discussions between Cornwall Council and Suez have been going on since March 2018 as to where to site the shredding operation. Options included siting it at the St. Dennis incinerator. Suez objected to this for various reasons. Details have all been confirmed in the only recently released site option report compiled by Cobalt Energy Engineering Consultants on behalf of Suez. It is obvious that local communities surrounding the incinerator have been kept in the dark until the recent (not advertised) release of the report. In my opinion this latest stage of the controversy that has surrounded the PFI contract from day one, is a blatant case of hypocrisy as it represents a far cry from Cornwall Council’s claim to be open and transparent on all aspects of the authority’s business.
The shredder project is an expensive mistake by Cornwall Council’s officers who have failed to ensure the incinerator’s design was acceptable for its intended use.
The shredder was the subject of a Radio Cornwall programme broadcast on Tuesday11th of December 2018.
Air Quality / Wasted Miles
Contrary to conditions promoted by Cornwall Council and used as supporting evidence in submissions for planning approval at the public inquiry, at the High Court and at Court of Appeal, that using incineration as a waste disposal technology would not increase transport costs or mileage, it has been calculated that the waste contract and the introduction of incineration has created procedures and practices that have created in the region of half a million HGV miles a year, that in turn has created thousands of tonnes of polluting emissions, all of which have a detrimental effect on air quality, human health and combating climate change.
We now see yet another failure to adhere to relevant planning approval conditions; the previous being the failure to sell the heat and more recently, the failure to generate electricity for the past eight months.
Air Quality Monitoring in Communities Surrounding the incinerator
Sadly the status quo continues as far as ambient air and soil quality monitoring is concerned. While the very dangerous PM 2.5 particles that have an adverse effect on human health causing the likes of heart failure, cancer and asthma, go unmonitored, so does the soil contamination by dioxins that subsequently have a detrimental effect on the food chain.
Soil has not been tested before or after the incinerator has operated.
Whereas we continue to recognise and commend St. Stephen’s Parish Council for conducting a certain level of air quality monitoring, we must not forget that this does not include all gases or the very dangerous to human health fine PM 2.5 emissions.
We find that Cornwall Council’s failure to monitor all elements of air quality and soil is a blatant failure to conduct its duty of care it is charged with as a moral duty. This is also a failure to positively adhere to its responsibilities as defined in the Environmental Act 1995 part 4 on air quality. CWFSDB’s complaint to the Ombudsman about Cornwall Council’s failure to practice a duty of care and the precautionary principle has been rejected after a second review, as no fault could be found with its tick box exercise. Apparently, people do not matter, as long as the boxes are ticked. Our complaint has now gone to the European Commission.
It is a fact that respiratory illnesses are becoming more frequent certainly in St. Dennis and surrounding villages, I can personally confirm this.
Whether you believe it or not the air quality in St. Dennis is bad, as proven by the number of asthma sufferers. You have been warned. We have had reports that certain previously healthy plants, lichen and vegetation have become mysteriously adversely affected; bird species have declined and the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly, a protected species on the Goss Moor, has declined to such an extent that it has had to be restocked.
Cornwall Council’s failure to recognise the negatives of incineration and the waste contract with Suez is a blatant case of shying away from reality, and in my opinion, by failing to address adversity, fails its duty of care. The truth is it that the incinerator has been a human, environmental and financial disaster since its conception. Those involved, whom I remember well, and those still in senior management roles, know very well of this adversity and should not be proud of hiding their heads in the sand by pretending all is well when it is not. If something is not right, it is not right. By not publicly accepting reality, this certainly creates animosity.
Because poor air quality is a major contributor to our health and the environment, I cannot stress more strongly that it should be taken more seriously by Cornwall Council and the public in general. Cornwall Council has failed to practice a duty of care or to practice the precautionary principle this proves that people do not matter.
Localism and democracy are non-existent.
Because of these failures seeking justice and protection for local communities surrounding the incinerator will remain a priority of CWFSDB.
On 14th January 2019, the Government is waking up at last to the adversity of air quality to public health and has published a Clean Air Strategy as it now recognises that the present framework does not effectively encourage local authorities to work across boundaries to tackle air pollution (as we very well know). The Strategy also says that greater local action will be encouraged on PM 2.5 emissions (Cornwall Council please note).
It goes on to say that it will strengthen guidance for councils on air quality issues surrounding industrial emissions, planning practice and other issues. A spokesperson for the LGA said Councils are determined to reduce the impact of harmful emissions on our health (although we see no evidence of that being practiced by Cornwall Council).
Let’s hope this new strategy bears fruit to protect present and future generations, in particular the young and the elderly who are already suffering.
Waste and Recycling Collections.
The Cornwall Council Cabinet has decided to change to fortnightly waste black bag collections and weekly recycling which will include waste food from 2020. Some members have reservations as to whether this change, which will obviously increase costs, is warranted or can be adopted by taxpayers with limited facilities.
Minister Michael Gove has announced that food waste collections once introduced must be collected weekly.
Officer’s Questionable and Threatening Conduct.
I have recently been threatened by Mr Paul Masters Cornwall Council’s Strategic Director for Neighbourhoods, that if I continue asking questions about the PFI contract and the council’s contractors my conduct I will be reported to the Information Commissioners Office and the LG Ombudsman as vexatious, manifestly unreasonable, scattergun and repetitive. I have received a similar threat about making complaints about the incinerator on behalf on members of the local community.
On legal advice I have appealed against this decision and have requested a review on
the grounds that Mr Master’s accusations are completely unwarranted in fact unfounded. All my questions and complaints have been directly related to the PFI waste contract and the council’s contractors and have always been conducted in a polite, honest and respectful manner. I have also adhered to agreed procedures with the Chief Executive, that I send all waste issues to Mr Masters, and head of legal Mr Richard Williams request that I convey all waste issues from CWFSDB into a single approach. The truth is, most of my questions would not have been necessary had Cornwall Council been open and transparent about the mentioned subjects, however, I have asked for a review, but as this will be conducted internally I am not holding my breath.
I am of the opinion that these threats prevent me from exercising my democratic right to seek clarity on how my council tax is spent, and from conducting my constitutional duties as chair of CWFSDB. I am also of the opinion that this is an unwarranted attack on me personally, and which I now consider to be victimisation. I have sought legal advice and will be acting accordingly. I have also asked for the leader and deputy leader’s intervention; depending on the outcome, I will be making a public statement.
After all the controversy that has surrounded the waste contract with SUEZ from its conception in 2006 to the present day, the council’s reluctance to be open and transparent still continues. The latest and typical example is the now revealed shredder project, which will cost taxpayers £1.4 million per year. All due to Cornwall Council’s employed officers’ failure to conduct their regulatory duty as the customer, to ensure the design fits the requirement. (see CDM regulations).
This latest controversy will push the cost to council taxpayers of managing our waste contracts, to over one million pounds (£1m) per week!
Ken Rickard,
Chair CWFSDB
St. Dennis