The Burning Issue

Today on my way into County Hall I was met by protestors from Friends of the Earth, People Planet and Oxford Campaign against Climate Change who were coming to petition Oxfordshire County Council about the prospects of an incinerator in the county. This came about because the Cabinet will be making a decision next week regarding our waste disposal and there was supposed to be a council debate today in advance of this.

Well, the motion to discuss this issue was withdrawn at the last minute in the council chamber because we had put forward an amendment asking for (a) the best option for the environment, (b) a "break clause" in the 25 year contract and (c) consideration of the impact of future carbon trading schemes. As the Opposition, we have had no involvement with the tendering and procurement process, but hoped that all councillors would be able to influence the decision which will be taken next week. To lock ourselves into a contract for the next 25 years gives us no prospect of withdrawal should it prove that incineration is not going to be the best long-term option.

To avoid taking votes on our amendment, in an extraordinary move, standing orders were suspended and the public were denied the chance of seeing councillors formally express their views. All the papers have been on the County website for some time now. This should not be a done deal and we should at least have been able to debate the motion and the amendment under the rules of the constitution so that the electorate know the spectrum of views on incineration and alternatives.

I just hope this does not set a dangerous precedent, that basically, if there are unpalatable decisions to be taken then the ruling administration just throw out the rules and do what they want. No final resolution, no recorded votes.

Disposing of the County's waste is one of the biggest issues facing us for many years, and this decision is not easy, but we need to make sure that it is treated with the seriousness it deserves. We listened to the protestors, but like us, they have little influence over what will happen next week. In other words, today felt like a bit of a smokescreen.