LEADING LIB DEMS DEMAND MORE INFORMATION ON SURREY WASTE CONTRACT

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 21st Nov 2000

Sue Doughty, Parliamentary Spokesperson for marginal Guildford said in response to last week's question by the Guildford MP: "I'm glad that the issue of the incinerator has been raised with the Prime Minister, this issue is of grave importance to the whole of Surrey. But rather than wasting the rest of his question on cheap jibes he should now be turning his attention to the Waste Management Contracts which have been entered into by his colleagues on Surrey County Council.

We have learned that the contract which Surrey County Council awarded to Surrey Waste Management for Waste Disposal is for a 25 year duration and follows the Tory Holy Grail of PFI money. Certainly there is little motivation for the County Council to do other than award contracts for at least 2 if not 3 incinerators.

By all means, we need our MP's support in opposing the Slyfield Incinerator proposal but what he also needs to encourage his colleagues to recognise that they got us into this mess, and they should get us out of it."

Very little is known in detail about the contract with Surrey Waste Management. Sue Doughty has expressed deep concern about the whole nature of the contract and how it was awarded. She commented "It is shocking that so little is known about this contract which has a major impact on Surrey. While other county councils, such as Norfolk have held an open consultation to inform the public and to explore options, the people of Surrey have been treated like fools. This is no longer acceptable. Not only has it given the wrong answer for the community, but the length of the contract with the underlying assumption that major incinerators will be required may not be the answer in 25 years time."

Sue Doughty will be speaking at the rally at Stoke Park on Sunday.