Something which should be of interest and concern to us all. I recommend you all watch this programme tonight at 8pm..
Pleased to announce that on Monday 8th March, from 8pm, Channel 4's Dispatches will air a programme about some of the harm caused by waste incineration.
Please use your social media accounts and email contacts to help promote 'The Dirty Truth About Your Rubbish', which Channel 4 describes as: "A look at how millions of tonnes of household recycling end up incinerated, hiking carbon emissions, with councils locked into long and expensive waste contracts".
The show is described in the Radio Times as follows:
"Environmental journalist Lucy Siegle investigates the rise of waste incineration in the UK, examining how millions of tonnes of waste left out for recycling ends up being burned. The rise in carbon emissions from incineration is put under the spotlight, with exclusive research revealing that it is on course to become the UK's dirtiest form of energy production. The programme also looks at how councils are locked into expensive contracts with incinerator operators forcing them to burn waste for decades to come."
We expect 'The Dirty Truth About Your Rubbish' will be of interest to MPs and Councillors as well as campaigners and residents.
After the show has aired, UKWIN intends to engage campaigners in lobbying the Government for a moratorium on new waste incineration capacity.
See programme listing: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/dirty-truth-about-your-rubbish-dispatches
Social media posts:
https://twitter.com/UKWIN_Network/status/1366330535874859010
https://www.facebook.com/UKWIN.Network/photos/a.805017369521176/3999963960026485/
Cornwall Waste Forum St. Dennis Branch - February 2021
Waste/Incinerator:
I queried SUEZ about the break in emissions and electricity generation recorded in the period.
14th to 17th December 2020, and received a reply saying this was due to maintenance work.
My query came from the fact that the unusual size and frequency of escapes/releases of pressurised steam and alarm sirens going off, all of which suggested operational problems.
This supports the fact that the incinerator was constructed with redundant incinerator parts from all over Europe and South America allowed because of questionable procurement management standards by Cornwall Council Officers, which lacked competent scrutiny and the prudent use to taxpayers’ money.
Roof repairs. The latest update from SUEZ is as follows:
We are writing to update you on this phase of the CERC roof repair works. The works have recommenced this week after delays during December due to adverse weather conditions and will continue throughout January and February.
We have been working with our contractor VINCI to expedite their works and as a result they have requested further weekend working early in the New Year. This weekend working will be limited to the hours of 8:00am and 4:00pm. VINCI returned to site on 4th January 2021 and plan to work over the following weekends:
09 and 10 January, 23 and 24 January and 20 and 21 February 2021
This additional weekend working will enable the first stage of repairs to be completed as swiftly as possible.
Due to the challenges associated with the poor weather at this time of year, the contractors may need to work flexibly and adjust plans if required. We will provide further updates if this becomes necessary.
Air Quality.
To date there does not appear to be any move to conduct a review of air quality in localities surrounding the incinerator as previously suggested by Cornwall Council officers.
Ken Rickard, Chair CWFSDB.
Separately, re. Cornwall Council’s waste and inefficiency:
CONSULTANTS’ FEES- FIBS, DAMNED FIBS AND STATISTICS
Cllr David Harris statement on latest developments in Cornwall Council consultant spend row
“Much comment has arisen about the level of consultants’’ fees etc paid by Cornwall Council in 2019/2020. Just to make sure that what facts we have are straight including an outright misstatement to the Press and blatant attempts to deflect the issue I have set out below the time line since I first raised this question.”
“In summary, what is terrifying is the dismissive way a reasonable question is dealt with followed up by misinformation (at best). There is only one source for these spends and that is the taxpayers’ pockets and, as is clear from what is set out below, the taxpayer deserves a lot better than the current administration which I have described as junta before and, in this instance, has absolutely lived up to this description.
1. At a Cornwall Council meeting on 19 January I asked Cllr Paynter, Leader of the LibDems,
deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance if he was aware that Cornwall Council had spent £20 million on consultants fees in 2019/20 and whether he was able to provide an analysis of this number. The figure of £ 20million came from a Cornwall Council response to a Freedom of Information request [see attached graphic]
2. Cllr Paynter said that yes he was aware of this number, undertook to provide an analysis of the number and sought to justify it on the grounds that it was better than employing permanent staff [see my earlier Press release on this attempted justification]
3. I can only assume that Cllr Paynter had been made aware of the Freedom of Information request so as to be able to come out with his glib response-one might have thought that he would have looked further into such a large number before giving his answer but…
4. On January 21 the Falmouth Packet ran a story on this issue which contained the staggering statement from Cornwall Council , “ The figures [i.e. £20 million] quoted are completely incorrect. The actual spend for 2020/21 is projected to be £10.5 million..” and again waffled about this money being spent on agency staff, contractors etc.
5. My attention was drawn to the Falmouth Packet article on February 9 when I then chased for a response to my original question at Council and at the same time asked The Council’s Chief executive for an explanation of the statement that had been given to the Packet which contained an outright untruth, was deliberately misleading in talking about 2020/21 when I had asked about 2019/2020 and also why our Communications Team could put something out calling into doubt the veracity of what I had said without even being bothered to talk to me.
6. Later on February 9 ( by coincidence I am sure), I received an email from the Council’s Chief Operating Officer which suggested that the figure given in the FOI response was perhaps incorrect as, “this figure had been taken from our finance system based on the codes used for consultant spend. The amount taken off the system had not been “cleansed” to ensure it was wholly consultant spend”.
7. On February 10 I received a further email which explained that the true spend on consultants in 2019/20 was £13 million with a very broad breakdown of this which itself contains some staggering figures. I am to this day unclear as to what the other £7 million was.
8. Bizarrely, the email I had received from the Chief Operating Officer on February 9 contained the statement that year to date (i.e. 2020/2021) expenditure on consultants was £14.9 million so where on this earth, or any other, did the figure given to the Packet of £10.5 million (see para 4 above) as projected spend for the whole year come from?
9. I have eventually received an apology for the wrong statement given to the Packet but have not seen any communication to the Packet acknowledging that a media statement put out to them contained an absolute falsehood and was very misleading.
10. Finally, Cllr German, leader of Cornwall Council described the £20 million figure as “totally fictitious” at a recent Cabinet meeting without any further comment. I do not know whether Cllr German had just not been briefed properly by his deputy Leader and officers or whether he was seeking to brush over something very quickly.
Whether in the end the spend was £13 million or £20 million, it is still a huge number and the people of Cornwall deserve a reasonable explanation on what has happened here and just how many millions this administration has spent on consultants.”
David Harris - 19 February 2021
For more information:
Mobile: 07900 054924
Email: david.harris@cornwallcouncillors.org.uk
Then you wonder why your Council Tax bills keep rising massively year on year!