Andy D'Agorne

A week of protests, national and local culminated in York Guildhall being defended by police and only a limited number or the public being allowed into hear the debate on tuition fees and the decision to sign up to a 25 year contract to build a waste incinerator. A failed proposal to broadcast council proceedings by webcast would have given all residents the democratic opportunity to observe the debate, which included an astonishing public critiscism of his own local Lib Dem Party by Cllr Christian Vassie. When it came to the vote on the incinerator plan only the two Green councillors supported our amendment to delay the decision, few more supported Christians amendment to delay for three months to explore alternative sites that would allow the waste heat to be used to heat homes. Some were shocked to see me second Christians amendment, which included the wording that the council agreed in principle to the project - this came after our amendment to delay had already fallen, and I did this in order to support the proposal even of a 3 month delay that could have bought more time for an alternative solution. When it came to the vote on the motion itself a call for a named vote from the Greens was not supported by anyone else - they did not even have the honesty to put on record who supported the signing of the 25 year contract. In response to this, a member of the public in the gallery broke the rules by taking a photo of the councillors responsible for the decision voting it through. Only two Greens and four Lib Dem councillors voted against the project - while the Tories and Lib Dems were given a free vote the Labour group had a whip requiring that they vote for the project. The outcome means a further £700k in cuts for each of the next five years on top of all the other government funding cuts to build up the budget needed to finance the new plant.For more details see www.nywag.org

A WORLD-renowned academic has accused two Yorkshire councils of “living in the 19th century” over controversial plans to build a multi-million pound incinerator to burn waste.

Professor Paul Connett, who has emerged as a leading environmental campaigner over the last 25 years, has ridiculed the “pathetic” recycling targets set by North Yorkshire County Council and York Council.

“It is an out-dated technology with no flexibility and the councils are living in the 19th century if they push ahead with the incinerator plans. It simply should have no place in the 21st century.”