Why Councillors must say no to Waste Plan: 23rd November 2005

Bexhill county councillors Gubby, Gadd and Dyason will vote IN FAVOUR of a new landfill site at Ashdown Brickworks and continued waste treatment at Pebsham in 10 days' time. They say they will vote to accept the ESCC Waste Plan, ignoring every one of the 8400 objections from the public, BALI and even Rother District Council. Of our local county councillors only Martyn Forster has said he will vote against.

On behalf of Bexhill residents our Chairman, Nick Hollington, has written to all four county councillors stressing why they must vote against the plan. We publish here only the concluding paragraphs:

"After all, you must surely defend the position of your own district council, of which you, Mr Gubby, are Leader and you, Mr Dyason, are Chairman? You will reply, I'm sure, that on many occasions, even this week at Cabinet, Councillors have spoken out against an Ashdown Landfill. Indeed, before this year's elections, all of you swore to oppose an Ashdown Landfill most vigorously. "Do my damn'dest" was one phrase I particularly recall. But fine words butter no parsnips. The time has surely come, in view of ESCC's complete intransigence, to do more than speak out.

This time last year our members watched dumbfounded in the Council Chamber at Lewes as our County Councillors, with the honourable exception of Keith Bridger, voted to accept the Inspector's Report which confirmed Ashdown in the Waste Plan, meanwhile deleting Mountfield. Councillors explained afterwards that in some way they were misled and made to toe the party line. Will December 6th be Groundhog Day for us again? Or will you this time show ESCC where you stand, by telling them that, unless at the eleventh hour they are prepared to make concessions, you will not vote for the Waste Plan.

Don't tell us such a course will prevent the Waste Local Plan being adopted, with all the complications that might entail. We all know that the Conservative majority will ensure the plan goes through. By voting against, however, you will have not only shown ESCC where you stand, you will, above all, have shown the people of Bexhill where you stand. Because finally this is not about politics, is it? It's about the lives of ordinary people in Bexhill, whom you represent, being blighted by a new Pebsham in their midst, the decimation of our much-loved beauty spot and SSSI, the Highwoods, and the continued degeneration of Bexhill.

And please don't tell us it will never happen! "Do your damn'dest" to make sure it won't! Do the right thing: vote against or abstain."

Press Release 15th November 2005: County Council vote

County Councillors this week voted to approve the County's Waste Local Plan, including the controversial proposal to open a landfill site at Ashdown Brickworks.

Representatives and supporters of BALI (Bexhill Against Landfill/Incineration) watched disappointed as ESCC Cabinet members pushed ahead with the plan without taking on board any of the 8400 representations received from members of the public following the consultation earlier in the year. The plan will now go to the full Council for approval on December 6th and, if "rubber stamped" by them, will then become the official County policy on waste disposal.

"To say we are disappointed is an under statement," said BALI Chairman Nick Hollington "but we are not surprised!

What we now have to hope for is that Bexhill's own Councillors (none of whom was eligible to vote at the Cabinet meeting) will now stand up for Bexhill and do what every right-minded person in Bexhill would want them to do - vote against the plan at the full Council meeting on December 6th!"

In an open letter to County Councillors (see below) Mr Hollington reminded Bexhill's own Councillors of their statements made at election time this year when all voiced support for BALI with one even saying he would "do his damn'dest" to ensure the tip would not open.

In his letter he says "Fine words butter no parsnips! Do the right thing: vote against or abstain!"

Open Letter to County Councillors: 14th November 2005

Dear Councillors

On December 6th, as you know, East Sussex County Council will meet to "consider the representations received" regarding the Waste Local Plan. These numbered 8400 with over 700 from Bexhill, including the professional cases made by BALI and Rother District Council, regarding a landfill at Ashdown Brickworks and continued waste treatment at Pebsham.

As you also know, the ESCC Cabinet, meeting last Tuesday, has recommended that not a single one of the 8400 representations be taken on board, but rather the Waste Plan should be adopted without any modifications. You will be asked on December 6th in other words to simply vote 'for' or 'against' rubberstamping the existing draft, which includes Ashdown Brickworks as the only site in the county designated for landfill.

Which way should you vote? To most people in Bexhill your decision would look easy: a Bexhill Councillor representing Bexhill residents would surely not vote for another landfill in Bexhill as a turkey would not vote for Christmas. However BALI agrees the matter is somewhat more complex, as indeed you explained to us in our recent meeting.

BALI understands the urgent need for a Waste Local Plan, albeit this one is generally recognized as deeply flawed and almost obsolete already. This affair has dragged on far too long: the first Consultation Draft appeared in December 1998! The waste contractor Onyx has just signed a new 25 year PFI contract with ESCC to dispose of 400,000 tones of municipal waste per year, yet existing disposal sites (including Pebsham) are set to close by 2008. While seeking to massively increase recycling and composting in co-operation with council, Onyx wishes to make a planning application for an incinerator at Newhaven at the earliest opportunity.

Agreeing the need for urgent action, however, surely does not mean simply throwing overboard all our representations for Bexhill, which we understand you share, in a 'mad rush' to approve the plan. For example both BALI and Rother have represented that the idea of a limited landfill operation at Ashdown from 2008 using only existing roads is completely untenable and that no planning application for a landfill at Ashdown should even be considered until a new highway infrastructure (Link Road, Country Avenue, etc.) is in place. Meanwhile other sites in the west of the county should be looked at. Is this not reasonable? Why should it then not be taken on board, if not in the plan then by a clear statement from ESCC to this effect?

We appreciate that a County plan cannot always satisfy every Councillor's local concern and that you are required to see the bigger picture and not just 'play NIMBY' But likewise ESCC must surely respond in some way to Bexhill's concerns and in the light of there having been not a single concession from ESCC to meet BALI and Rother's objections, we suggest there is only one honourable course of action open to you: to vote against the Waste Plan or at least abstain from voting.

After all, you must surely defend the position of your own district council, of which you, Mr Gubby, are Leader and you, Mr Dyason, are Chairman? You will reply, I'm sure, that on many occasions, even this week at Cabinet, Councillors have spoken out against an Ashdown Landfill. Indeed, before this year's elections, all of you swore to oppose an Ashdown Landfill most vigorously. "Do my damn'dest" was one phrase I particularly recall. But fine words butter no parsnips. The time has surely come, in view of ESCC's complete intransigence, to do more than speak out.

This time last year our members watched dumbfounded in the Council Chamber at Lewes as our County Councillors, with the honourable exception of Keith Bridger, voted to accept the Inspector's Report which confirmed Ashdown in the Waste Plan, meanwhile deleting Mountfield. Councillors explained afterwards that in some way they were misled and made to toe the party line. Will December 6th be Groundhog Day for us again? Or will you this time show your parties where you stand, by telling them that, unless at the eleventh hour ESCC are prepared to make concessions, you will not vote for the Waste Plan.

Don't tell us such a course will prevent the Waste Local Plan being adopted, with all the complications that might entail. We all know that the Conservative majority will ensure the plan goes through. By voting against, however, you will have not only shown ESCC where you stand, you will, above all, have shown the people of Bexhill where you stand. Because finally this is not about politics, is it? It's about the lives of ordinary people in Bexhill, whom you represent, being blighted by a new Pebsham in their midst, the decimation of our much-loved beauty spot and SSSI, the Highwoods, and the continued degeneration of Bexhill.

And please don't tell us it will never happen! "Do your damn'dest" to make sure it won't! Do the right thing: vote against or abstain.

Nick Hollington
BALI Chairman

Press release 7th November 2005

Massive support for BALI

Anti-landfill group BALI raised over £720 net profit from its Christmas Fair last Saturday at St Martha's Church Hall.

Fund-raising Officer, Julie Stilwell, commented. "I want to thank the 200 paying customers who turned up to support us and help us raise such a fantastic sum. Of course, this would not have been possible without the extremely hard work of the members of our Fund-raising committee so I would like to take the opportunity to thank them publicly for all they do."

Publicity Officer, Keith Pike, added " I talked to many of the visitors to the Fair and there is no doubt that people are very angry about what is being put forward. They know that East Sussex County Council's Cabinet is deciding next week (Nov 15th) how to proceed and are worried that it might be too late to stop the plan going ahead.

But the decisions taken on November 15th have to be approved by the full Council on December 6th, so we shall be watching this meeting to see which way our local councillors intend to vote."

BALI's committee are meeting shortly to consider how to respond if ESCC Cabinet decide to press ahead with the Waste Local Plan and the earmarking of Ashdown Brickworks as the only potential future landfill site for the whole of Sussex. Initial plans could see a tip open in 2008 capable of taking 100,000 tons of the county's waste each year.

"The largest trucks are 40-tonners" said Keith, "so we could have 50 each week on Bexhill's roads. The good news is they won't all be that big - the bad news is that means there'll be more of them!"

In the meantime BALI say they will press on with fund-raising activities to pay for legal and expert advice. They have already planned another of their popular Quiz Nights (Jan 27th) and their Spring Fair (Feb 18th).