Incinerator Plan must be Scrapped say Lib Dems, as Costs Spiral to over £1 billion

With the projected costs for the planned incinerator near Stewartby spiralling to far in excess of £1 billion, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats are calling for the plans to be scrapped in favour of an environmentally superior method of dealing with waste.

A bid for Private Finance Initiative Funding for the project was rejected in March. Following further work on cost projections, the basic net cost of the project has increased by £138.5 million to £902 million, while the so-called 'affordability envelope,' which includes possible variations in project costs, has risen by 42 per cent to a staggering £1.17 billion. The vast increase in costs from those outlined in the business case for the project need to be approved by the partner authorities involved in the 'Bedfordshire Energy and Recycling Project.' Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats, who have opposed the former Conservative County Council's plans for an environmentally damaging incinerator from the beginning, are calling for the project to be shelved in favour of a more sustainable solution.

Commenting, Bedford Borough Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Dave Hodgson said: "We have always been opposed to the plans of the former Conservative County Council to build a giant incinerator near Stewartby. Now, with costs spiralling out of control before it has even begun, Bedford Borough Council should take this opportunity to get out of this environmentally harmful project and focus on delivering a genuinely sustainable option for dealing with our waste as soon as possible.'

"A solution is needed which protects the local and wider environment while also enabling us to avoid punitive landfill taxes. We favour Mechanical and Biological Treatment, which is based on the principle of extracting as much material as possible from waste for recycling. With residents across the Borough taking part in the recycling scheme and hoping to protect the environment for this generation and generations to come, they will expect nothing less."

Liberal Democrat Councillor and Environment Portfolio Holder Cllr Charles Royden commented further: "These shocking latest figures for the costs of BEaR give us a glimpse of the profligacy of the Tory County Council, which splashed money around like a drunken lottery winner. They showed as little regard for local taxpayers' money as they did for the local and wider environment. We now face the possibility of this project costing 1.17 billion, more than a third of a billion over budget. It would be funny if it were not so serious and if such a huge amount of tax payers money had not already been wasted.'

"However since these costs have increased so dramatically from the original projection, this means the that the Borough Council now has an opportunity to escape from this debacle and it is one which it must take. We can then consider more sustainable waste solutions which prioritise waste reduction and recycling, and do not involve importing waste and transporting hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rubbish on lorries from across the south of England on our local roads to feed a ridiculous giant incinerator."