A Judge has ordered a full hearing into a government decision to allow the sale of the troubled fracking company Third Energy – the company that is licensed to frack in Ryedale, North Yorkshire.
At stake is whether the government properly considered the risk to the taxpayer that the new owners would not meet the clean up costs.
Ministerial correspondence has revealed a government department “worked with” Barclays on the “orderly disposal” of Third Energy. Continue reading
The 4th October decision by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to allow Drax Plc’s planning application for the UK’s largest ever gas-fired power capacity will lock the UK into dirty energy production for at least another two decades, climate campaigners have said.
The Secretary Of State overruled the Planning Inspector’s recommendation to refuse the plant, with the bizarre claim that the new gas plant didn’t contradict the “move towards net zero carbon”.
The Planning Inspector’s recommendation agreed with key objections made to Drax’s planning appliction, and with the arguments Biofuelwatch and others including ClientEarth put forward.
Continue readingAt a meeting in Halifax Town on 29 July (starting at 6pm) the Cabinet will consider a report that recommends Calderdale Council stops using glyphosate within its parks and on roadside verges. It calls these “soft landscapes”.
However the Cabinet has to wait for another report before considering whether to stop the use of the herbicide within hard landscapes, such as street pavements and at the roadside. This report will include fully costed plans.
The reason given for the delay is that the Council needs time to undertake trials into more environmentally sustainable methods to remove weeds.
As we said last time the Council put out a press release about reducing glyphosate use – they are kicking the can down the road. Continue reading
For goodness sake! Calderdale Council has put out a press release saying they’re reviewing their use of glyphosate.
Well we knew that, they’ve been reviewing it at least since 2016, when Cllr Dave Young explained the position as set out by a Working Party of the Communities Scrutiny Panel: Continue reading
Alternative weed control methods will be used at Northern Primary School, Burnley Rd, Bacup OL13 8PH on Wednesday 12th June – Friday 15th June, from 10-4pm approx – traffic permitting as the contractor is travelling down from York.
The contractor will be working at the school using a foamstream machine to tackle the weeds, clean play areas and equipment, clear weeds on the artificial surfaces, fence lines, and forest school and undertake a pioneering exercise marking the school pitch. (Apparently glyphosate is usually added to the paint during conventional marking of pitches). Continue reading
As you may know, INEOS have lodged an appeal with the planning inspectorate against Rotherham Council’s decision to refuse permission for exploratory drilling at a site on the edge of Woodsetts.
Starting on Tuesday 11th June, the Appeal will be heard at Riverside House, Main Street, Rotherham, S60 1AE. It will last for eight days.
A US court has recently ordered the manufacturer of the bestselling weedkiller brand, Roundup, to pay one user $80m (£61m) in damages after he developed cancer. This is the second such ruling from a US court.
Now Councils across England are reviewing their use of Roundup (the brand name for glyphosate).
Hebden Royd Town Council decided a few years ago not to use glyphosate on any of its projects, according to the Clerk, Jason Boom.
But Calder Ward Cllr Dave Young says that Calderdale Council is continuing to use gylophosate, although they are reducing the amount year on year. Continue reading
In 2017 and 2018 Calderdale Council took steps to cut carbon emissions from its buildings, through Phases 1 and 2 of its “Re:FIT” programme to reduce energy use and costs in some of its most energy-guzzling buildings. Continue reading
The Planning Inspectorate is examining Drax Power Station plans to replace its two remaining coal-fired units with a much larger power station (3.6GW) burning fossil (natural) gas. This will, if granted, allow Drax to secure its position as the UK’s biggest fossil fuel burner for decades to come!
The Planning Inspectorate held a preliminary hearing for this in October and the next hearing will be in Goole on 4th December.
Biofuelwatch intend to hold a short and respectful banner protest outside this hearing, starting at 1.30pm as people are going in to the hearing and finishing at 2pm so they can go in and listen to the hearing too.
The Goole demo will be a good opportunity to let the Planning Inspectorate know (again) that there is widespread opposition to Drax’s proposal on the grounds of climate change. Continue reading
Privatisation is not just making a mess of our NHS. It is also making a mess of a whole host of Council services, including waste management.
An article by Greg Pitcher in today’s Local Government Chronicle reports that Greater Manchester Combined Authority has borrowed £500m to end its PFI waste deal with Viridor Laing.
It has done this in order to re-procure a cheaper waste management services contract with a private company. Viridor is among 6 companies that are in the running to win the contract. So Greater Manchster Combined Authority are paying £500m to buy out a contract so they can re-procure a cheaper one, possibly from the same company.
The Local Government Chronicle website provides a sorry saga of waste management services profiteering, rip offs and incompetence. The argument that private sector provision of public services would increase efficiency and value for money lies dead in the water. If it ever had any life in it, it certainly doesn’t now. Continue reading