He joins Jonathan Essex and Sarah Finch on the council. For more information see the Redhill Green Councillors' blog.  More information to come.

A Green Party survey of councils has recently shown a general willingness to assist families in fuel poverty, but no evidence that enough funds are available(3). Families are suffering huge financial hardship because of misdirected cuts, and today one in four households can't afford to heat their homes. This number is predicted to rise to one in three households by 2016.

Surrey Green Party is calling upon people to support a new campaign. The Energy Bill Revolution alliance is calling on the Government to use the money it gets from carbon taxes to make our homes super-energy efficient. This is the only way to drive down energy bills permanently and end fuel poverty. It would be enough to bring 9 out of 10 homes out of fuel poverty, generate up to 200,000 jobs and save four times more carbon emissions than the Government's new energy efficiency policies.

Surrey Green Party asks that members of the public please sign the petition at www.energybillrevolution.org and publicise this campaign to others.

Notes:

1. For full details of the campaign and coalition of groups supporting it, see: http://www.energybillrevolution.org/
2. Fuel Poverty means a household has to spend more than 10% of its income on energy.
3. The full replies from local councils and some analysis can be found as 'Fuel Poverty Survey' at http://www.kentgreenparty.org/publications.php

For more information see also linked articles in The Independent and The Telegraph.

There's nothing ‘eco' about the Eco Park. It is a waste incinerator of inefficient design, which will increase CO2 emissions, increase transport of waste, place a ceiling on recycling, and emit toxic pollutants.

Cllr Jonathan Essex has been helping local residents to oppose this application. The local campaigners put forward good arguments and the local County Councillor put forward cogent and well reasoned points as well. Unfortunately the Tories on the Committee were determined to pass it.

Our hopes now rest on Spelthorne Borough Council, who are looking at the legality of the process followed by the County Council and SiTA regarding this application. We hope that the case will go to Judicial Review.

Meanwhile, Surrey County Council says two more waste sites are needed and the first one they're looking at is in Earlswood. Local Greens are working up plans for Anaerobic Digestion of food waste on the site.

Sarah Finch, March 10th 2012

70 Green Party members and supporters from across Surrey came to hear the Green Party leader and Brighton MP, and to enjoy a tasty three course dinner at local Indian restaurant, Mela.

Campaigning in Westminster...

Caroline spoke about her first two years as an MP. There were some surprises in store when she arrived at Westminster - for example the fact that new MPs are given a hook to hang their swords on, but no office.

Some parliamentary traditions were puzzling after her experience as a member of the European Parliament - for example that the Speaker can arbitrarily decide which amendments to a bill get tabled.

The tradition of voting by filing through lobbies was another shock - Caroline said this is time-wasting and confusing, with many MPs simply following orders from their party whips, with no idea what they are voting on. She has been leading campaigns to update some of our arcane and anti-democratic traditions.

... and locally

Caroline spoke of the importance of elected Greens at all levels, and the good work done by Green Councillors in Redhill and around the country.

Experience at Brighton and elsewhere has shown that where one Green is elected, others follow. Caroline urged local Party members to campaign actively to get more people elected across Surrey.

Green Councillor Sarah Finch said, "This was our first local fundraising event and it was a a great success. We're very grateful to Caroline Lucas for coming, to all the local businesses who donated raffle prizes, and to everyone who came along and helped create such a positive atmosphere.

"The money raised will go towards expenses in the local elections coming up in May. We have six candidates standing in Reigate & Banstead and will be counting on local members to help us campaign."

Greens are concerned that the proposed tripling in size of the Sainsbury's store in Redhill could impact on other shops in the town and on prospects for future development, and that a full study of the impact of the proposed store needs to be conducted to inform any decision.

Jonathan Essex, Green Councillor in Redhill commented,

"A triple-sized Sainsbury's store would be far bigger even than out-of-town supermarkets like the Tesco's in Hookwood, which are now discouraged because of their negative impact on high street shopping. We are concerned that one very large store may draw customers and their money away from the rest of the town centre, which could make it harder for existing shops and harder to attract new retail development in the future.

"I was surprised to discover how large this proposal actually is - bigger even than the Tesco store in Hookwood - and whether it is good to put this size of out-of-town style store in our town centre."

The Reigate and Banstead Branch of Surrey Green Party has submitted its concerns. You can view our submission here. The Sainsbury's application is due to be considered by Reigate and Banstead Council on 31st August 2011.

That's not the case here in Redhill. Two former homeless hostels, on Warwick Road and Claremont Road, now lie empty and it is down to the Salvation Army and the charity Hope2540 to help find places for those who are made homeless - a few each week, many for financial reasons.

The Council says it is not responsible for providing homeless hostels, and Raven Housing say they can no longer afford to.

The homeless people who are seeking shelter in Redhill face a criminal lack of options, and criminalising squatting is not the solution.

Sarah Finch
Green Councillor for Redhill East

Cllr Jonathan Essex said, "We need more social housing, not less. There is a real and urgent need for more affordable housing locally. "

Cllr Essex also criticised the lack of vision which sees buildings being knocked down and rebuilt, at huge environmental cost. Cllr Essex said,

"It makes no environmental sense to demolish buildings that are structurally sound and build new ones. This approach is being proposed both in Merstham and in Redhill town centre.

"In Redhill town centre a Lidl supermarket was demolished to make way for flats. Now we see plans for a tripling of the size of Sainsbury's, flattening perfectly good and occupied offices. We need a clear overall vision for Redhill's development, to make sure that individual developer plans fit into a broader picture and make things better for everyone.

"A green vision for development is not to trash and rebuild an area every few decades but to make what we have already got better, to develop the character of an area.

"The solution to social problems is not knocking down what is not working and starting all over again. We need more affordable homes and to have better community facilities and make the one's that aren't knocked down better."

For further information contact: Cllr Essex 07801 541924 or Cllr Sarah Finch 07870 823485

Notes to Editors:

1. The Merstham proposals set out a change from 70 social homes to 20 social and around 100 new private homes. While the council is encouraging 'mixed communities'' by reducing social housing numbers in Merstham, it is not currently increasing the proportion of social housing on other developments elsewhere.

2. There are currently over 3,700 people on the waiting list for social housing locally. The new proposals for Merstham may result in 50 fewer affordable homes.

The application, which will be discussed at a Surrey County Council meeting on June 30th, will come after a hard fought battle by local residents who are opposed to the plans.

The Green Party has objected to proposals to build a gasification incinerator in Shepperton in West Surrey.

Surrey County Council is proposing to build this incinerator at the household waste tip in Charlton Lane. As there will also be recycling facilities on the site, they have misleadingly called the project an ‘EcoPark’.

In fact this gasification plant is an inefficient type of incinerator which will increase CO2 emissions, increase transport of waste, place a ceiling on recycling, and emit toxic pollutants.

This form of waste disposal technology is not supported by either Surrey’s own Waste Management Strategy, the Government’s national planning policies, or the government’s recently announced Waste Review.

Our submission sets out how the proposal fails to improve waste management, and why it will actually lead to an overall increase in transport congestion and CO2 emissions, rather than the reduction claimed. Instead of building incinerators, Greens want to see Surrey focus on maximising waste reduction, reuse and recycling in all Boroughs across the county. In addition, ‘anaerobic digestion’ plants (to treat organic waste such as waste food) should be sited as locally as possible, for example by developing co-digestion at the various Thames Water sewage treatment plants across Surrey.

Download our submission here

Congratulations to Sarah Finch, who has been elected as our second Green Councillor on Reigate & Banstead Borough Council.  Sarah joins Jonathan Essex, both representing Redhill East ward.

Sarah says, "Thank you to everyone who voted Green in Redhill. And thank you to all the Green Party members and others who helped secure this win. Now the hard work begins tackling all the issues we have been discussing on doorsteps over the last month."

REDHILL WEST

With your continuing support Greens have advanced right across Redhill. In Redhill West Greens increased their share of the vote by 13.3%¹.

Over the last few weeks Phil Wilson, the Green Candidate, has spoken to many residents about their concerns over our local roads, cuts in local services, parking and pollution. Concerns which the Greens will continue to press for improvement upon.

Phil Wilson had said,“I'd firstly like to thank everyone for voting, especially to those who voted Green. Our result in Redhill West is a big jump in the right direction. My congratulations to Sarah Finch, the Green Candidate in Redhill East, who was elected last night. Together with Jonathan Essex, Sarah will add to make a stronger team and a stronger voice for all residents of Redhill.”

1. Both graphs show the share of the 2011 vote compared with the election of same seats in 2007.

It should be no surprise that Conservative Councillors for Redhill are speaking up for the Harlequin (Council Meeting, April 14). But Greens argue that not all is as it seems...

Greens know just how much the residents in the area support the Harlequin. It's our local theatre, presenting films, concerts and touring bands. Local youth theatre and community groups rely on its facilities, and the council regularly hires rooms for public meetings. It's a true community asset -- just what local Councils are there to safeguard.

A number of Councillors including Green Councillor for Redhill East, Jonathan Essex, spoke out and voted for a properly funded budget to be drawn up as part of the Borough's Corporate Plan.

Instead, the Tories cast about for "savings" until they'd found enough for a month's worth of overdue maintenance in August.

So it's a pity the Tories' "additional investment" turns out to be around half a million short of the council's own estimate of how much the job will cost, £1.4 million.

Why the hurry? Could it be there's an election due? Sarah Finch Green Party Candidate for Redhill East has said "The Tories' mid-election announcement of cash for the Harlequin - two months after the budget process when this cash did not figure - smacks of desperation. Greens and others are calling for a sustainable approach to maintaining and improving the Harlequin, including working with partners such as the Harlequin User Group and outside caterers."

Local people remember that it's only been a couple of years since a very successful petition reminded the Tories how much people value the Harlequin, and how they want their Council to maintain it properly.

Properly refurbished, the Harlequin should be good for another 20 years. Patched up on half rations, perhaps the Tories will again be trying to close it within five years.

Councillor Essex proposed the full funding be provided through a long-term partnership between the Council and local community groups, as has worked so successfully at the Playhouse in Epsom and at Fairfield Halls in Croydon.

Phil Wilson, Green Candidate for Redhill West commented, “Tories locally seem to have a fetish for short term fixes. From Surrey's pothole repairs to the still insufficient funding for the Harlequin, they seem not to grasp the concept of building to last.”

[END]

Notes to Editor

• The Conservative Group’s statement on their decision can be found here http://www.redhillcouncillors.co.uk/2011/04/council-commits-additional-investment-into-harlequin-despite-opposition/
  
• The Surrey Mirror article published on 14th April can be found here http://www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk/news/Harlequin-saved-thanks-council-s-163-939k-plans/article-3443092-detail/article.html
  
• Those voting in favour were the Tory Group, those voting against the main proposal but for the amendment which would have still seen essential maintenance works carried out, were the Residents’ Association councillors, 1 Independent, and Conservative Councillors who resigned from the local conservative group last week, and Redhill’s Green Councillor.
  

For further comment or questions ring

Jonathan Essex – 07801 541 924 essexjonathan@yahoo.co.uk
Sarah Finch – 07870 823 485 sarah@sarahfinch.com
Phil Wilson – 07597 749 953 xphilwilsonx@googlemail.com

Phil Wilson, Green Candidate for Redhill West outside Redhill Train Station

Local Greens have welcomed news that Redhill Train Station will be redeveloped.

Representatives of Southern and Network Rail were at the AGM of the Redhill, Reigate and District Railway Users Association which was held last night. They spoke about the planned improvement works which include the construction of an additional platform to increase capacity and greater accessibility for the disabled.

Greens also welcomed the long overdue news that Southern will be including a system similar to the oyster card, albeit only being introduced in late 2012.

Phil Wilson, the Green Party Candidate for Redhill West has said "We welcome the steps being taken by Southern and by Network Rail to help improve services from Redhill. As Surrey County Council have said, Redhill is the region’s transport hub and we believe we should therefore have the infrastructure and funding to match that status."

However there was concern over the rebuilding of London Bridge Station with both London Bridge and London Victoria currently running at full capacity. Southern announced that four additional trains during peak hours would go into Blackfrairs but it transpired that none of these additional services would be calling at Redhill and therefore may not help to alleviate traffic in and out of London.

Sarah Finch, the Green candidate for Redhill East said 'As a daily commuter I have seen the service gradually improve but more needs to be done. In these tough economic times investing and improving public transport really does make a difference to local businesses and our local economy'

[END]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Notes to editors

1). Phil Wilson is the Green Party Candidate in Redhill West and can be contacted for further comment on 07597 749 953

2). Sarah Finch is the Green Party Candidate in Redhill East and can be contacted for further comment on 07870 823 485

3). The AGM of the Redhill, Reigate and District Railway Users Association was held from 7.30pm on Thurs 24th March 2011.

4). The Meeting was attended by a number of representatives from Network Rail and Southern.

5). For more details on the Thameslink Project, of which these improvement works are part, see here http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6359.aspx

I agree it is important to stop waste dumping. But Councillor Ellacott is skirting around the real issue - that our recycling service is not up to scratch.

Our London and Surrey neighbours take doorstep recycling of plastic, glass and food waste for granted.

Meanwhile, Cllr Ellacott says "we would like to extend the [Merstham station] site to include plastics when circumstances allow". What circumstances?  The end of the recession? Or a bit of hardstanding and some new bins?

Last week the plastics industry formed a lobby group to persuade councils like Surrey that burning plastics is a great move.

Burning plastics is a real waste of resources and releases cancer-causing dioxins. What is really needed is policies to reduce packaging and make recycling better.

Who will Surrey County Council listen to when they choose whether or not to build the first 'gasification-type' incinerator on March 8th?Rather than wait for 'new circumstances' or an incinerator to arrive, we call on Cllr Ellacott to respond to residents’ wishes for plastics recycling - not just at Merstham station and other recycling sites, but from our doorsteps too.

Sarah Finch

Redhill Green Party

The Government’s plans to privatise England’s forests in order to raise £250 million pounds over the next 10 years faced widespread criticism since it was introduced in the spending review in October. This decision marks the biggest U-turn by the Government since the General Election and the Green Party hopes this may encourage the Government to re-think other controversial policies.

Jonathan Essex, Green Councillor in Redhill said: “Selling the country's forests would harm biodiversity and prevent public access to beautiful, well-loved areas.

“It's fantastic that so many people have spoken up to protest against the Government's proposal. I hope that the coalition will also change other unpopular policies such as their cuts to care services provided by local councils.

“Now we can have a proper discussion about how best to manage our forests. Surrey is one of the most wooded counties in the UK – but are we using these resources effectively? For example, better management of woodland can deliver greater timber for UK use, and biomass fuel as a local sustainable energy source. “

FURTHER INFORMATION/INTERVIEWS

Jonathan Essex: 07801 541 924

Sarah Finch 07870 823485

Following Steve Farrer's letter in the edition last week (27/01/11) I believe it is important to take a pro-active approach to the problem of air pollution in Redhill. The council have set up an Air Quality Management Area and have commissioned research, but surely there is no doubt that these emissions are coming from the traffic in Redhill Town Centre.

Both Reigate and Banstead and Surrey County Council have to address this issue urgently especially if plans for new superstores are given the go ahead in Redhill which will do nothing but add to our already congested streets.

We need a transport strategy that works for all and not just for car users. We need an improved bus and rail service, a sensible policy to car usage and we need to invest in cycling but most of all we need to be able to offer residents an affordable alternative to the car.

This is where our councils are letting residents down, the above-average level in nitrogen dioxide is yet again another sign that their policies are failing to deliver the public transport provision we need and the clean air we deserve.

Phil Wilson
Green Party

A Green Party spokesperson from Redhill is demanding the council investigate pro-active initiatives to tackle the problem of air pollution in Redhill.

In August 2010 Reigate and Banstead Council published it's findings into the issue of air quality in Redhill and Reigate in a detailed 47 page report. However apart from their legal duty to announce an Air Quality Management Area very little seems to have been done to resolve this issue.

In last weeks edition of the Surrey Mirror, Tory Councillor for Reigate Central, Steve Farrer, said no action was required as computer modelling predictions of possible reductions in vehicle emissions – because of improved vehicle technology – meant air quality standards would be met by 2015/16.

The council has a statutory duty to draw up an action plan stating how it intends to reduce the level of toxic fumes and meet the air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide. As of yet it does not appear that this action plan has been drawn up nor has any action been taken or will be taken in the next 5 years.

Philip Wilson, Green Party Spokesperson for Redhill West has called for tough, radical and immediate action to reduce the number of vehicles on our roads and for a massive improvement in the provision of alternative modes of transport to help end our dependency on cars.

Darren Johnson, Green Party London Assembly Member, who chaired the Assembly's investigation into air quality in the capital, had found that leading health experts believe there are 3,000 premature deaths in London each year as a result of air pollution.

Phil continued to say "If action is not taken, the Council will be contributing to increased levels of asthma in children and no doubt an increase in premature deaths as health experts in London have already made the connection between poor air quality and poor health."

Details of the meeting can be found below;

Wednesday 24th November, 7pm, Harlequin Theatre, Redhill.

Chair:
Jonathan Essex, Green Councillor for Redhill East

Speakers:
Lindsey German, Social Justice Campaigner, Former London Mayoral Candidate and Co-Author of Stop the War: The story of Britain’s biggest mass movement

Romayne Phoenix, Coalition of Resistance Steering Committee Member

Chris Leary, Save our Services in Surrey & Surrey Unison

Philip Wilson, Redhill Coalition against Cuts

More details of the campaign can be found at www.redhillcoalitionagainstcuts.blogspot.com

Surrey proposes to locate an updated incinerator at the household waste tip in Charlton Lane.

Jonathan said “We were shocked to hear Surrey Waste Management admit the emissions would be “no less than any other type of thermal treatment plant”.

“What has finally been made public is that emissions from this ‘gasification plant’ will be just as bad as they would have been for the incinerator they wanted at Capel!”

By 2013/4, there will be a 49 metre chimney burning 60,000 tonnes of the waste that cannot be recycled – including the plastics that create dioxins – and other Energy-from-Waste plants across Surrey (see notes 4 and 5 below).

Jonathan added: “Landscaping this incinerator in a so-called ‘EcoPark’ is just Green-Wash. This is certainly not World Class Waste Management. World-class means zero waste without incineration, and that means not just recycling, but re-use. They do it elsewhere, and so can we!

“It’s good that Surrey now have plans to achieve 70% recycling, something that’s been standard practice across Europe for years. But to say you are dropping incinerators, and then announce a new one is to repeat a mistake made in London ten years ago.” (see notes 2 and 3 below)

“The expert witness from SITA (the company that runs Surrey Waste Management), said the proposed gasification plant is “not any less polluting than any other thermal treatment plant”.

“We agree! It’s just as polluting as the incinerators SITA runs elsewhere in the UK.”

“A real EcoPark would create jobs in the reuse, repair and re-manufacture of materials that would otherwise be wasted. And composting of food waste can be done more efficiently at existing local sewage treatment plants.

“There’s absolutely no advantage in co-locating an incinerator in a recycling centre.

“Incidentally, this ‘new’ design of incinerator was so efficient it corroded away the boiler when it was first used in Scotland.”

Notes to Editors

For further information and comment:
Jonathan Essex - 07801 541924
Sarah Finch - 07870 823485

1. The government follows the European Union in classifying ‘Gasification Technology’ as Energy from Waste and (see the WRAP Gate Fees Report 2009, Comparing the cost of alternative waste treatment options).

2. Responding to the question where this has been done before, Jean-Claude Sartenaer, Advanced Thermal Treatment Technology expert for SITA, at Surrey County Council’s Oversight and Scrutiny Meeting (held by Spelthorne Borough Council on 20th October 2010), noted that similar examples of energy from waste and material recycling facilities being built together include Edmonton, Lewisham and Kirklees. These are all incinerators, and Edmonton is already branded as an EcoPark. He added, “It is not unusual that thermal treatment plants are located in towns, even in the UK, such as Huddersfield, Edmonton and SELCHP.

3. The three Eco-parks given as examples by Surrey Waste Management are all Incinerators:

(a) Edmonton Incinerator is officially called the London EcoPark and includes an incinerator, recycling and a visitor centre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_Incinerator and http://www.londonwaste.co.uk/)

(b) Kirklees Incinerator and visitor centre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirklees_Incinerator and
http://www.sita.co.uk/what-we-do/downloads/Kirklees-web.pdf).

(c) SELCHP energy recovery facilitator in South East London (http://www.selchp.com/).

4. Surrey’s latest waste plan estimates 160,000 tonnes of waste to burn: http://www.surreywastepartnership.org.uk/_downloads/JMWMS_final_consultation_draft.pdf.
This plans for new ‘energy from waste’ facilities for 160,000 tonnes of waste a year by 2013/4, with 60,000 tonnes of waste to burn at the Charlton Lane site in Shepperton.(http://www.surreywaste.co.uk/default.aspx?PageID=41).
This means that 100,000 tonnes must be dealt with on some or all of 19 other sites identified, such as Guildford and Redhill.

Currently Surrey exports 100,000 tonnes of waste each year to the Allington incinerator near Maidstone.

5. The meeting noted that just 35% of responses to proposed EcoPark plans were positive.

The plans are for 15 acres landscaping, a 49 metre high chimney (rather than the previous proposed 85m chimney for the larger incinerator proposed at Trumps Farm).

The chimney was claimed to be designed to provide 'a point of interest at ground level' and had received comments from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment as “a successful piece of
architecture”. It was noted that the Spelthorne Borough’s landscape and biodiversity officers spent a lot of time on this – “not to creatt a man-made screen” but to “break up the views by planting in depth”.

6. The presenters noted that this included a digestor to take 40,000 tonnes of food waste, which if a reduction of food waste thrown away happens (as has occurred where food waste collections have been introduced elsewhere) would mean shipping food across all of Surrey. Much smaller plants (such as 10,000 tonnes/year) have been shown to be viable elsewhere and would remove much HGV movements.

7. The chimney height was noted as fixed to balance visual impact and air quality impact – there is greater dispersal if higher. This means there is no margin of error; that if the plant turns out to emit more pollutants than planned (as has happened to the original design in Dumfries, Scotland) or have a changed mix with more plastics, for example, as recycling levels continue to improve or if one of the 15 tonne batches of material burned each day had more plastics or other polluting material, then the emissions will exceed planned levels.

These planned levels are already expected to exceed legislation (see below, full details expected with Air Pollution Report to accompany the planning application expected at the end of October). Spelthorne is
already is a heavily polluted borough, where maximum recommended levels of Nitrogen Dioxide are already exceeded. The plant has been designed to emit half the maximum permitted under EU legislation on rates of pollution for incinerators.

8. Although the plant is claimed to produce ‘zero waste’, the SITA experts confirmed that 23% of the tonnage burned ends up as ash (the intended end use for this ash was not revealed) and 3% ends up as toxic sludge (known as ‘Air Pollution Control Residues’) which is put into special bags and sent to one of six or seven ‘special treatment centres’ in the UK. The Green Party has learned these are toxic waste landfill sites, the nearest to Surrey being in Gloucestershire. So Surrey must be planning to send around 1% of its waste to be sent to toxic landfills near Gloucester.

9. The discussions on traffic at the meeting treated HGV journeys as equivalent to car movements in their impact.

10. The cost of this plant is estimated at £50 million, budgeted as long term finance paid to SITA on contract and so, technically, not directly funded by the taxpayer. Surrey County Council is responsible for community recycling centres and the disposal of all municipal waste. SITA has a contract with Surrey to “provide infrastructure to deal with household waste – paid for by central government grant, specific government grants and council tax”.

SITA bears the risk for cost over-runs. They will own the plant until 2024, after which it is transferred to SCC. SITA was awarded the contract for building the plant in 1999, on the basis of what was best value for
money then. They still have to show value for money through their operations.

11. Under the recent Comprehensive Spending Review, specific grants (the Private Finance Initiative) to subsidise waste disposal (as opposed to reuse and recycling) have just been scrapped for seven other waste authorities across the UK (www.letsrecycle.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=37&listcatid=217&listitemid=56493&section=local_authority).

12. The only plant operating like this at the moment is in Dumfries, run by Scotgen. SITA confirmed: “This is the main reference for this project. They have been operating the plant since November 2009.

The boiler selected was not suitable and has had problems of corrosion and fouling”.

Jonathan Essex comments –“Presumably this is due to the higher level of pollutants in the emissions than expected in the design of the plant”. The Dumfries plant has also consistently breached emission limits over its first months of operation. It was not confirmed whether this plant has the same mix of waste that is proposed to be burnt in Surrey. The air pollution expert present (Mark Broomfield) noted that “the case for gasification with Dumfries not performing to design does knock confidence”.

13. There were concerns about what happens about emissions landing on nearby reservoirs and affecting wildlife and water supply.

14. SITA said emissions were mainly nitrogen dioxide, water vapour, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, as “with any other combustion” such as Heathrow or car engines.

“Specifics to incineration of waste” include a small number of heavy metals and dioxins.

The tall chimney does not stop the pollution but disperses the gases less intensely over a larger area, so that the planned pollution is only 1% more than background levels in the long term or 10% over background levels in the short-term. The only exceptions of this are emissions of three heavy metals, 2-5% in the long term, but this is “considered insignificant in terms of the background context”. The plan is to only check emissions of the heavy metals and dioxins every three months.

15. The Green Party notes that the term ‘Energy from Waste’ is misleading and the term ‘Energy Recovery’, as used to describe the incinerator in South London is more accurate as this is only around 20% efficient, and therefore emits twice as much carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generated as a coal fired power station.

The Greens in advance of this week's spending review have pledged to resist any attempt to cut jobs or services which will stunt any local economic recovery.

Philip Wilson, Acting Chair of the anti-cuts group, Redhill Coalition against Cuts, has said “The cuts due to be announced will have a devastating effect on many people in the local area., However these cuts are a choice and do not have to be made so deep nor so fast, the extent to which they want to massacre jobs and services can only serve the Tories' ambition of reducing the size of state at the expense of peoples livelihoods.”

Jonathan Essex, Green councillor for Redhill East said, “We urge Surrey County Council not so sell-off our
community as it seeks to make around £180 million pounds cuts over the next four years. The axeing of almost 50% of Connexions funding so there is no longer any support in our mainstream schools is not the way to  inspire young people into employment.” - see (1) below

Jonathan Essex continues, “Nationally, the Greens are arguing for creation of a million new jobs, to build a better society that faces the real challenges of today, rather than lose the estimated million public and private sector jobs proposed.” - see (2) and (3) below

Green Party Leader and Brighton MP, Caroline Lucas said: “There is an easier and better way, a way that will avoid hurting a lot of innocent bystanders through savage cuts. If we increase taxes on the highest incomes, scrap expensive and irrelevant projects like Trident, transfer money from roadbuilding to public transport and get tough on tax avoidance and evasion, we could afford a major public investment programme that would create hundreds of thousands of jobs while transforming the economy to help tackle climate change.”

[END]

Notes to Editors

(1) See
http://www.surreycountyunison.org.uk/.

(2) See
http://www.climate-change-jobs.org/sites/default/files/1MillionClimateJobs_2010.PDF.

(3)
See
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23887249-500000-private-sector-jobs-at-risk-from-cuts.do