Merton Labour vote to build an incinerator that will affect Labour voters in Croydon

I recently wrote to a handful of Labour councillors and activists in Croydon regarding events in Merton. I received fair responses from nearly all of them. For me, the most obvious way to block the planned in incinerator was for Croydon Labour to persuade Merton Labour to vote against it. 

Dear______

Last week's Merton Full Council meeting had two waste related motions put before it.The Labour motion was carried and the Conservative motion rejected. Please can you help me understand why this happened? Is it simply because one party is in power and the other is in opposition, or is there something else to this? 

http://www.merton.gov.uk/democratic_services/w-agendas/w-reports/_9000-9999/9835.pdf

Motion 2 (Labour)

Submitted by Councillors Agatha Akyi gyina, Brenda Fraser and Russell Makin

Council notes that our waste and recycling services help contribute to the

cleanliness of our borough and the quality of life of our residents. Council

therefore welcomes:

•

A 6% increase in resident satisfaction with our recycling services and a

recycling rate now at almost 40%

•

Waste collection services at  5% above the London average and 7%

above the outer London average, as measured in the 2012 Annual

Residents’ Survey

•

The next phase of the South West London Waste Partnership contract,

which will lead to savings of £27m over 25 years for the council, in

addition to almost completely ending our use of landfill.

Council acknowledges that, in addition to providing a good quality domestic

waste and recycling service, it is also important to focus on the cleanliness of the wider public realm and further welcomes:

•

The recent enforcement action against an individual who dropped litter

in Colliers Wood and who was subsequently ordered by the courts to

pay a fine and costs of £400

•

The pilot “smart bins” initiative in Morden to deal with the problem of

cigarette and chewing gum waste

•

The new “Street Champions” programme where local residents are

working with the council in reporting street scene issues.

Whilst welcoming all of the above initiatives, Council believes that the regular

street clean remains fundamental to a cleaner Merton and welcomes Cabinet

and Scrutiny’s decision not to support budgets reductions in this area.

Council further resolves to continue to protect the regular street clean going

forward, even in the face of the current squeeze on local government funding.

Motion 3 (Conservative)

Submitted by Councillors Richard Hilton, David Dean and Suzanne Evans.

This Council notes that:

•

Viridor was appointed in January 2012 as the preferred bidder for

the South London Waste Partnership’s £990 million waste treatment contract

and plans are being progressed for an incinerator at Beddington Lane;

•

The current plans include chimneys standing at 85 metres high that

will emit many tonnes of fine particle pollution, such as NO2, PM10

and PM2.5 into the local atmosphere;

•

The Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has already

raised objections to the inappropriate use of Metropolitan Open

Land for this purpose and to the loss of local wildlife habitat.

This Council believes that:

•

Beddington Lane, as a designated air quality management area,

already suffers with pollution and shares local residents’ concerns

that an incinerator could make pollution levels worse;

•

Insufficient reassurance has been provided by the developers,

Viridor to the serious concerns our residents hold;

•

We have a responsibility to make Merton a ‘Green Borough’ and

much of the waste proposed to be sent to the incinerator can and

should be recycled;

•

The proposal comprises inappropriate development on Metropolitan

Open Land for which very special circumstances are still to be

demonstrated in accordance with London Plan policy.

This Council resolves that:

a)

the Cabinet Member write to Viridor seeking technical information on

how waste will be dealt with; more information on how the loss of

Metropolitan Open Land will be rectified; the need for a greater and

more detailed air quality analysis; and to address concerns about the

loss of a wildlife habitat which would result from the scheme as it

stands.

b)

If the response is inadequate, Cabinet urges the London Borough of

Sutton to reject the proposals for the incinerator in favour of other

regional incinerators bidding for waste, and that Cabinet does not

consider any plans for an incinerator within Merton.

-------------------------------------------------- Tags croydon, greenparty