Labour Told to Rethink 30-Year Teesside Incinerator Waste Deal

Newcastle’s ruling Labour Cabinet is being challenged to do the right thing for council taxpayers and for the environment by confirming they will now abandon controversial plans to send the city’s waste to a huge incinerator in Redcar, after the Lib Dem Opposition motion calling on the council to rethink its plans was approved at last night’s council meeting.

The latest setback for the embattled Labour leadership of the council on a major council decision is further evidence that a lame duck administration can no longer command the confidence of the council chamber.

Not only has there been a failure to identify any credible alternative plan for the city’s waste, the council administration continues to be in deep denial about the flaws in the financial model for the project, and silent about the environmental impact of thousands of HGV movements along the A19 to ensure the council fulfils its contractual obligations to provide the waste to ensure that the incinerator is constantly fed.

Labour’s furious reaction last night failed to convince the majority of city councillors that the proposals represent anything other than a very bad deal for the city’s finances and a very bad outcome for the environment.

The Lib Dem Opposition considers that the Labour leadership has privately been committed to the TVERF proposal for a very long time, with behind the scenes decisions as far back as 2019, and believes there is little prospect they will change course. 

The Lib Dem Opposition remains deeply sceptical of Labour claims to be defending Newcastle City Council’s reputation as a bastion of good governance, stable public finances, and deal-making acumen in the light of the recent Urban Green and Crown Plaza debacles.  

Responding, the proposer of the Lib Dem motion to reconsider the incinerator plans, Cllr Gareth Kane said

“Our main concern remains that the incinerator contract would mean failing to meet the Government target of a 65% recycling rate by 2035. In fact, Newcastle would almost certainly fail to meet that target by 2045 or even 2055, no matter what changes in technology, product design, or consumer behaviour happen in the meantime. Planning to fail to meet these targets is unconscionable in light of the perilous state of the planet and the natural environment. We should move away from a ‘burn, baby, burn’ attitude and get Newcastle recycling again. Our city and our planet deserve better.”

Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition Cllr Colin Ferguson said:

“It is abundantly clear from last night’s meeting, where the Labour administration lost vote after vote that the Labour leadership is still in office but no longer in power. They need to recognise legitimately held concerns, engage with opposition members, and listen to the public. The gallery rang out with prolonged applause and cheering when the case was won. 

"This wretched Labour administration will very soon be gone, but for now we must wait for Cabinet's review of the settled view of city councillors across the council chamber. I am not hopeful that they will heed it.”