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19th March 2010

IS THE NEW GASIFICATION INCINERATOR A PLOY TO SMUGGLE THE SOUTH LONDON INCINEARATOR THROUGH THE BACK DOOR?

A new gasification incinerator planned for Beddington could potentially end up being the South London incinerator leaving the wider consultation immaterial.

Green Party spokesperson Shasha Khan said:

“A separate South London incinerator appears to have been smuggled past us in a piecemeal fashion whilst our minds remain focused on the South London Waste Plan consultation.

“What we have discovered beggars belief. If this waste site is indeed separate to the South London Waste Plan, we are looking at nearly 1m tonnes of waste being transported through Beddington Lane. We estimate this will easily equate to 50,000 truck journeys per year.

“Something definitely underhand is at play because one only needs to see the applicant’s web site to see that their only motivation is profit, and they reckon they have mastered the “black arts” of the planning process to push the incinerator through.”

Partner Bioflame’s home page entitled “Profit from waste”, states:
“You will learn how we deliver the often black art of planning permission, environmental permission, grid connection, funding, and ultimate project delivery and be able to visit live working plant at full scale that you can bang with a hammer!”

Originally, Country Waste Recycling had permission to receive 200,000 tonnes of building waste, including asbestos and PVC, in Beddington. 40,000 tonnes of this waste was of wood origin. This was transported around the corner into the landfill site.

Shasha Khan explained: ” In September 2009 Country Waste received planning permission to increase this quantity to 350,000 tonnes of waste and to build a giant shed. However, most worryingly of all, they succeeded in acquiring permission to vary the waste type on the proviso that they would deal with the permits from the Environment Agency.”

Shasha continued, “Now Country Waste Recycling have joined forces with Bioflame to form a spin off company called Beddington Heat and Power. This new company now wants to handle 500,000 tonnes of waste, but in addition to this increase they are applying for a gasification incinerator to burn 30,000 tonnes of waste wood. Despite grandiose claims by waste companies, a gasification plant is the same as an incinerator. It heats the waste materials, and then burns the gases, resulting in dioxins and other pollutants escaping into the air we breathe. It’s an incinerator in disguise. A significant amount of the wood that will be burnt will have been treated with creosote, lead based paint and even arsenic.

“Beddington Heat and Power claim that there will be 3000 less lorry journeys around the corner to landfill site. However, like a conjurer they are keen for us to miss the increased number of miles covered for an additional 150,000 tonnes of waste being transported to the site.

“I am really concerned these profiteering waste contractors see Sutton and Croydon as an easy touch. They can see the area affected by the pollution is Beddington and North East Croydon. This is a relatively poor community, in stark contrast to the village of Capel, Surrey who had wealthy residents to fund a legal campaign that defeated the proposed Surrey mass burn incinerator. Indeed Surrey County Council now needs to find an alternative site to dispose of its waste. This would explain why Surrey County Council had the audacity to submit a response to the first South London Waste Plan consultation.

“If planning is granted then we are many steps closer to a waste site which is equivalent to the South London Waste Plan incinerator in size – without the need for a consultation. This application must be thrown out!”

3rd March 2010

CROYDON GREEN PARTY PLEDGE TO ERADICATE FLY-TIPPING.

The Green Party in Croydon have come up with a six point plan, known as the ‘FLYTIP plan’ (see attached image), that they believe will eradicate fly tipped rubbish.

Croydon Green Party spokesperson, Shasha Khan, said, “Nearly everyone knows that the Green Party wants to reduce pollution. We are principled on this issue. One automatically thinks of air pollution when addressing pollution. However, pollution comes in various forms.  Fly tipped rubbish on our streets is pollution. The levels of fly tipped rubbish in some wards, particularly north of the borough, have reached intolerable levels. Croydon Council needs to take urgent steps to eradicate the blight of fly-tipping in our borough which affects our quality of life. “A lot of the stuff that we see dumped on our streets is potentially reusable. Therefore where it is practical to do so, furniture fairs should be held annually in which residents leave their old furniture outside their house for anyone to take, and the council takes away anything left.

“But more immediately, the council can follow our six point fly-tip plan to eradicate flytipping. If Greens controlled the council we would implement this immediately.”

1/ Freephone fly-tipping hotline. Fly-tipping to be cleared within 24 hours by the Council with one call to a freephone hotline.

2/ Longer opening hours for council dumps to suit needs of residents and businesses.

3/ Yearly collection of up to 7 items of bulky waste – such as furniture, mattresses or fence panels – to be collected free (currently £10)

4/ Tackle fly-tipping through proper co-ordination of council and local police e.g. patrols, cameras, collecting information from local residents.

5/ Information notices to be displayed at fly-tipping hot spots stating the penalties for fly-tipping and how to dispose of rubbish. Households to be leafleted on how to dispose of household waste annually, with information in translation where necessary.

6/ Punishment of offenders by community service such as litter picking in Croydon parks and large fines if this is not completed and for repeated offences.

Shasha Khan continued, “We would also like to see the government apply pressure on large superstores that sell televisions, furniture and other household appliances to receive items that are no longer required. For example if you are buying a television, the retailer should be obliged to collect or receive your old one free of charge.”

1st March 2010

CROYDON COUNCIL IMPLICATED IN ALLEGED TAXI SERVICE CONTRACT CORRUPTION

The Croydon Green Party has become aware of a worrying story involving the apparent misallocation of millions in Croydon taxpayers’ money.
A recent Private Eye article has revealed that a heavily indebted, failing minicab company without the resources to provide the requisite services has been suspiciously awarded a £6.5 million contract by Croydon Council whilst cheaper, better qualified alternative tenders were overlooked.
Five years earlier, Private Eye first reported on the questionable award of a £20 million special needs schools transport contract by Southwark Council to Olympic South, a minicab firm, replacing the existing contractor without adhering to proper tender processes and then allowing the company to begin operations without the legally required licences. The subsequent council inquiry was seriously hampered by the theft of a computer containing correspondence and emails relating to the award of the contract.
Olympic South have now been awarded another similar lucrative contract by Croydon Council, following advice from Michael Lawrence, former transport boss at Sutton Council. Private Eye notes that “senior Croydon council sources” claim better qualified and cheaper tenders were ignored and the majority of routes awarded to Olympic.
Olympic should have been excluded from consideration as the company did not have the resources to fulfil a major contract. As was the case in Southwark, Olympic were chosen in spite of the fact that the firm lacked the necessary number of vehicles and qualified staff to provide the services required and in spite of not possessing the requisite licences. Moreover, the firm recorded a loss of £565,508 last year and its balance sheet shows a deficit of almost a £1 million.
The final element to this malodorous cocktail is that Michael Lawrence, the official primarily responsible for the suspicious decision, has since left his job at Sutton council and waited a full day (30.09.09 – 01.12.10) to take up a new position as “Director of Services” at – unbelievably – Olympic South.
Commenting on these findings Shasha khan said:
“On the surface this whole episode has all the trappings of a banana republic. Upholding standards in public life is crucial to a healthy local democracy.  Greater transparency in the awarding of contracts is vital. The Green Party has put in a Freedom of Information Act request, asking to see papers relating to the decision making process. If somehow undue favour has been given to Olympic South, whilst better qualified and cheaper tenders were ignored, then there will need to be a full inquiry.”

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