Which party will get your vote on 6th May?

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

Council's waste contractor implicated in illegal activity

29.03.10
Press Release immediate:

VEOLIA IMPLICATED IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITY


The Green Party in Croydon has been advised that Veolia is engaged in illegal activity in Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Veolia has entered into contracts to provide bus and tramway transport to link the colonised settlements to the Israeli sector of Jerusalem and has undertaken additional services including refuse disposal to a site in the Jordan Valley. The success and profitability of the contracts is predicated on the illegal colonisation of Occupied Palestinian territory; and the Israeli plan to colonize East Jerusalem and environs is dependant upon the provision of services provided by Veolia. Bus services 109 and 110 serve Israeli settlements along Israeli-only route 443 and the planned ‘Jerusalem Tramway’ is to be built on Palestinian land to serve Israeli settlements, existing and planned, to provide Israeli-only transportation within the planned Israeli ‘Greater Jerusalem’. The Tovlan waste management site is on Palestinian land and is projected to handle the waste from the expanding and projected increasing illegal Israeli colonies of ‘Greater Jerusalem’.

Green Party candidate for Croydon Central Bernice Golberg said:

“Arguably, global security is significantly dependent on a peaceful and lasting solution between Palestine and Israel. Most recently, the focus has been on the Israeli settlements. In East Jerusalem Israeli authorities are increasingly inviting international condemnation by expelling Palestinians from areas in East Jerusalem and expanding the new Israeli city eastwards towards the Jordanian border.

Bernice continued

“If it has been established that Veolia is engaged in illegal activity, the Green Party finds it inappropriate that council taxpayers should be actively supporting a company actively engaged in the colonisation of the Occupied West Bank which even the United States now condemns for being an “obstacle to peace”.

Veolia currently have the waste disposal contract with Croydon council and are on the shortlist for the new South London Waste Incinerator.


Under Public Contract Regulations 2006, section 23 (4)(e), contractors found to have “committed an act of grave misconduct in the course of his business or profession” should be precluded from tendering for public contracts.”

Ends



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

New South London incinerator by stealth?

19.03.10

Press Release (immediate):

IS THE NEW GASIFICATION INCINERATOR A PLOY TO SMUGGLE THE SOUTH LONDON INCINERATOR THROUGH THE BACK DOOR?

A new gasification incinerator planned for Beddington could potentially end up being the South London incinerator leaving the wider consultation immaterial.

Green Party spokesperson Shasha Khan said:

“A separate South London incinerator appears to have been smuggled past us in a piecemeal fashion whilst our minds remain focused on the South London Waste Plan consultation.

“What we have discovered beggars belief. If this waste site is indeed separate to the South London Waste Plan, we are looking at nearly 1m tonnes of waste being transported through Beddington Lane. We estimate this will easily equate to 50,000 truck journeys(1) per year.

“Something definitely underhand is at play because one only needs to see the applicant’s web site to see that their only motivation is profit, and they reckon they have mastered the “black arts” of the planning process to push the incinerator through.”

Partner Bioflame’s home page (2) entitled “Profit from waste”, states:

“You will learn how we deliver the often black art of planning permission, environmental permission, grid connection, funding, and ultimate project delivery and be able to visit live working plant at full scale that you can bang with a hammer!”

Originally, Country Waste Recycling had permission to receive 200,000 tonnes of building waste, including asbestos and PVC, in Beddington. 40,000 tonnes of this waste was of wood origin. This was transported around the corner into the landfill site.

Shasha Khan explained:

” In September 2009 Country Waste received planning permission to increase this quantity to 350,000 tonnes of waste and to build a giant shed. However, most worryingly of all, they succeeded in acquiring permission to vary the waste type on the proviso that they would deal with the permits from the Environment Agency.”


Shasha (3) continued,

“Now Country Waste Recycling have joined forces with Bioflame to form a spin off company called Beddington Heat and Power. This new company now wants to handle 500,000 tonnes of waste, but in addition to this increase they are applying for a gasification incinerator to burn 30,000 tonnes of waste wood (4). Despite grandiose claims by waste companies, a gasification plant is the same as an incinerator. It heats the waste materials, and then burns the gases, resulting in dioxins and other pollutants escaping into the air we breathe. It’s an incinerator in disguise. A significant amount of the wood that will be burnt will have been treated with creosote, lead based paint and even arsenic.

“Beddington Heat and Power claim that there will be 3000 less lorry journeys around the corner to landfill site. However, like a conjurer they are keen for us to miss the increased number of miles covered for an additional 150,000 tonnes of waste being transported to the site.

“I am really concerned these profiteering waste contractors see Sutton and Croydon as an easy touch. They can see the area affected by the pollution is Beddington and North East Croydon. This is a relatively poor community, in stark contrast to the village of Capel, Surrey who had wealthy residents to fund a legal campaign that defeated the proposed Surrey mass burn incinerator. Indeed Surrey County Council now needs to find an alternative site to dispose of its waste. This would explain why Surrey County Council had the audacity to submit a response to the first South London Waste Plan consultation.

“If planning is granted then we are many steps closer to a waste site which is equivalent to the South London Waste Plan incinerator in size – without the need for a consultation. This application must be thrown out!”

Ends

Notes:
1) The South London Waste Incinerator will handle 480,000 tonnes of waste. If planning is approved a new waste site will handle a separate 500,000 tonnes of building waste. If it is assumed that the new South London incinerator will be built in Beddington, that equals 980,000 waste transported there.
2) http://www.bioflame.co.uk/
3) Shasha Khan founded the Stop the Incinerator campaign
4) The site will have 100,000 tonnes of wood, so they would be keen to apply for another incinerator if this application is successful

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

Comment on waste firms' histories

Link to online version

Full comment to Croydon Guardian below:

The four players vying for the lucrative South London Waste Plan (SLWP) contract have not exactly covered themselves in glory in the past. These schemes are forced through despite massive local opposition. Incineration is a profitable method to dispose of waste, especially if the Government is offering a PFI credits that equate to 50% of the set up costs for an incinerator. Whilst, waste companies see their profits going up, I see cancer rates, low birth weights and lung disease going up if the Council allows this to be built. Health and environmental costs are simply being overlooked when addressing the issue of waste.

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

Response to Mr Pitt's letter from Green Party candidate for West Thornton

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

FLYTIP plan press release

03.03.10

Press Release – immediate.

Photo opp.

CROYDON GREEN PARTY PLEDGE TO ERADICATE FLY-TIPPING.

The Green Party in Croydon have come up with a six point plan, known as the ‘FLYTIP plan’ (see attached image), that they believe will eradicate fly tipped rubbish.

Croydon Green Party spokesperson, Shasha Khan, said,

“Nearly everyone knows that the Green Party wants to reduce pollution. We are principled on this issue. One automatically thinks of air pollution when addressing pollution. However, pollution comes in various forms. Fly tipped rubbish on our streets is pollution. The levels of fly tipped rubbish in some wards, particularly north of the borough, have reached intolerable levels. Croydon Council needs to take urgent steps to eradicate the blight of fly-tipping in our borough which affects our quality of life.

“A lot of the stuff that we see dumped on our streets is potentially reusable. Therefore where it is practical to do so, furniture fairs should be held annually in which residents leave their old furniture outside their house for anyone to take, and the council takes away anything left.

“But more immediately, the council can follow our six point fly-tip plan to eradicate flytipping. If Greens controlled the council we would implement this immediately.”

1/ Freephone fly-tipping hotline. Fly-tipping to be cleared within 24 hours by the Council with one call to a freephone hotline.

2/ Longer opening hours for council dumps to suit needs of residents and businesses.

3/ Yearly collection of up to 7 items of bulky waste – such as furniture, mattresses or fence panels – to be collected free (currently £10)

4/ Tackle fly-tipping through proper co-ordination of council and local police e.g. patrols, cameras, collecting information from local residents.

5/ Information notices to be displayed at fly-tipping hot spots stating the penalties for fly-tipping and how to dispose of rubbish. Households to be leafleted on how to dispose of household waste annually, with information in translation where necessary.

6/ Punishment of offenders by community service such as litter picking in Croydon parks and large fines if this is not completed and for repeated offences.

Shasha Khan continued, “We would also like to see the government apply pressure on large superstores that sell televisions, furniture and other household appliances to receive items that are no longer required. For example if you are buying a television, the retailer should be obliged to collect or receive your old one free of charge.”

Ends

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

Sam Cam votes Green

On Monday, whilst visiting Windsor to view the castle - just viewing (£16 to go in!!!) - and sample the surrounds; on advisement from the Tourist Information Office, I took a short walk across the Thames to Eton College. I didn't know the Eton uniform comprised of an ostentatious tailsuit, collar and bright white shirts.....that is until I spotted groups of young men rushing from one historical building to another. You can't help but gawp when you see them in their uniforms, and its not too difficult to imagine Boris Johnson or David Cameron strolling across the road.

18 British Prime Ministers have been schooled at Eton. It breeds Prime Ministers and who knows David Cameron might be the next??

On the noticeboard outside one of the buildings I saw a poster promoting the 'House Debating' competition. Propositions for debate include:

"The House believes that the MPs' expenses scandal was a fuss about nothing."
"The House believes that the EU has done more harm than good."

The whole feel of the place reeks of the old boy network. It is hard to imagine that (call him Dave) Cameron would get any progressive ideas from Eton. Which leads to me believe that Cameron's apparent interest in green issues comes from Samantha Cameron. Indeed, it was recently revealed that she used to be - and might still be - a Green voter.

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

Letter on new council HQ

The volume of letters from PPC's appearing on the feedback pages is growing. Even UKIP have suddenly found their keyboard. This may explain why my letter on the bailout of the new council HQ was edited down by both the Croydon Advertiser and Croydon Guardian. Full version below:

03.10.10

Dear Editor,

The new council HQ saga stinks of the Conservatives helping out their rich developer friends. In this case its John Laing, who incidentally is on the short list to build the new incinerator under a front company called Resources from Waste. The controversy surrounding the new HQ is tricky to digest, not least because of all the acronyms involved. To summarise, the CEDC (Croydon Economic Development Company) is to receive a bail out from LEGI (Local Government Finance Initiative) – which is supposed to support businesses in deprived areas. At the same time, the Government’s PWLB (Public Works Loan Board) has provided £145m – which is effectively underwritten by the Croydon taxpayer - to finance the URV (Urban Regeneration Vehicle) which includes the new PSDH (Public Services Delivery Hub), which replaces Taberner House. The council is yet to provide an independent report showing that the existing building presents a health and safety risk. The trail is undoubtedly murky, leading voters to believe that something shady is happening behind closed doors. This is all the more so given that the number of empty office blocks in the town centre.

Additionally, Labour sensationalising the story in their literature by claiming the Tory Council “plans to build themselves a brand new luxury HQ” doesn’t help either. One assumes the council leader, Mike Fisher, is not planning to move out of his plush and spacious office at the town hall.

The worrying thing is there is no adjudicator in this deal. I contacted the PWLB to ask if they considered how the money was to be paid back and the level of risk involved? It cited the Local Government Act 2003 which states,”that a person lending money to a local authority shall not be bound to enquire whether the authority has power to borrow the money.”

Another point not being cleared up is whether the Council is to pay rent to a private company to use a publicly funded building that is occupied by public servants!

Just like the bailout for the banks, the only thing that that keeps ringing true is: ‘its socialism for the rich and capitalism for the rest of us’.

Yours sincerely

Shasha Khan

Croydon Green Party

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