BALI Press Information December 2005
Press Release December 7th 2005: Protestors interrupt Council Meeting as Bexhill Councillors split over landfill
East Sussex councillors voted on Tuesday in favour of adopting the Waste Local Plan which includes Ashdown Brickworks as a possible landfill site, but only after police had been called to stormy scenes between protestors, including some from BALI, and council officials.
There were angry scenes before and during the council meeting which was at one stage suspended because many members of the public, including BALI supporters, were locked out of an over-spilling council chamber.
Earlier, as councillors had arrived for the meeting, they had had to run the gauntlet of banner-waving protestors from Bexhill and Newhaven, the locations for the two most hotly-contested county council proposals for landfill and incineration respectively. A miniature incinerator pumped out foul-smelling smoke to replicate the ‘incinerator’ effect while a drum beat out the rhythm for chants.
Council officers had correctly anticipated a large turnout of protestors from both ‘the BALI army’ and DOVE (Defenders of the Ouse Valley and Estuary) and knew the council chamber would be too small to accommodate them all. They had therefore arranged a viewing room where the public could watch the councillors’ debate on a webcast link from the chamber. But as harassed council employees tried in vain to establish a computer link with the chamber next door, protestors became more and more restless. There were renewed angry demands for the meeting to be held in premises big enough to accommodate the many protestors present. But officials stood their ground, saying they had done all they could to ensure the public’s rights had been protected.
Eventually, as protests became louder and more angry, and the computer screens remained blank, police were called to the room to keep the peace while attempts were made by officials and councillors to suspend the meeting. Amidst repeated chants of ‘Call the meeting off!’, the chairman, Cllr John Barnes (Rother NW), agreed to suspend proceedings and appear in front of the noisy demonstrators to explain that he would allow more of them into the chamber. Asked why this was now possible when it had previously been ruled out ‘on health and safety’ grounds, Cllr Barnes said he was prepared to ‘take that chance’ in view of the strength of feeling among the many demonstrators.
Despite warnings that members of the public would be expected to remain silent during the proceedings, some protestors continued to applaud and jeer in turn as councillors stood to use their allotted time to speak.
But, as the last of the recorded votes was cast, it was clear the protestors had lost and the council, as expected, agreed to adopt the plan.
But Bexhill’s councillors seemed to have had a last minute rethink about how to vote. Of the three councillors who had earlier told BALI they would definitely vote in favour, only one, Cllr Gadd, did so. Councillors Gubby and Dyason both abstained, with Cllr Forster voting against, as he had earlier promised.
Speaking after the vote, BALI Chairman, Nick Hollington, said ‘We are happy to take this as a sign that we can work with those of our councillors who have demonstrated their commitment to the people of Bexhill by at least refusing to vote in favour of a plan with such devastating potential effects on our town.’
Unless protest groups persuade DPM John Prescott to call in the plan, it will be formally adopted at the end of January. At the time of going to press, BALI are due to consider their position on Wednesday 7th.