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A desperate plea for government to reinstate support that was unexpectedly withdrawn from three energy-from-waste projects has fallen on deaf ears.
Councillors behind the schemes today met with environment minister Lord de Mauley in the hope of reversing the shock decision, which has been heavily criticised. That bid failed.
The cuts to waste infrastructure credits announced in February left the councils, which had already spent significant cash on procurement, with a £200 million hole in their budgets. That puts energy-from-waste plant with total capacity of around 65MW in jeopardy and has shaken investor confidence in the sector.
James Alexander, leader of City of York Council, said if his local scheme does not go ahead, the authority will have to find £1 million a year in service cuts or council tax rises to pay landfill charges.
Lord de Mauley “offered no credible alternatives” to this outcome, said Alexander. “The councillors present are very disappointed by Lord de Mauley’s stance and unwillingness to listen to reason.”
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