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helen.m
Junior Member
United Kingdom
39 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Apr 2011 : 22:23:26
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| i would like to know which councillors are vehemntly against the proposed incinerator, those who are not sure and those who think it is a great idea because as far as i am concerned, there is no bigger issue in ware for the coming local elections. if the proposal gets the go ahead, ware will be changed forever into a massive industrial site, there will be no going back. so if i could suggest all those standing for election make their views very, very clear |
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mb1
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
2142 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2011 : 21:31:38
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| David Albinson came and knocked on my door tonight and promised absolute opposition to mass burn here or anywhere by the Lib Dems. |
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skippy
Advanced Member
1019 Posts |
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Richmond Close Resident
Junior Member
United Kingdom
71 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2011 : 14:02:53
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Having emailed many WTC and district councillors requesting their views on the incinerator, I got just 4 replies which were as follows. (in no particular order)
V.Shaw LIB DEM
"My view is unequivocal. I believe its site is wrong, in a valley and next to a large residential area. It has unknown dangers from pollution and emissions, and will create heavy traffic. It does not encourage recycling, is not dealing with our own waste, which is taken out of the town to Ugly. It will also be burning unknown ‘building’ waste from London.
A new element in the equation which could be quite dangerous for local residents is that David Cameron is now proposing to reduce Health and Safety checks.
Terence Milner Conservative
"Very simply I am against the building of the incinerator at Ware.
I actually believe that recovering energy from waste is a sensible thing to do, indeed at the moment most of Ware's rubbish is burnt in Edmonton. However, the Westmill site is not appropriate for the building of a similar facility because of the impact on local residents such as impact on roads and overbearing nature of the building on the location."
I think you can safely say I am against.
Jeanette Taylor (Ware St Mary's, Conservative
(who also knocked on my door and was very convincingly against the incinerator) The reply below was about 12 weeks ago and she has made her `against` views very clear since then.
"I did not write the Ware Mattersleaflet, Councillor George Powell was the author and will be able to answer your questions. I can, however, give you an update to the 18th January 2011 as follows:
(there followed a lengthy reply stating the current situation with Biffa/planning which I have omitted here as it didnt include her views)
As a serving member of the Development Control Committee I am unable to make my personal feelings regarding the incinerator known to you until after the application for site location comes up before that Committee. If I make public my views on the incinerator I will have to declare an interest and leave the Council Chamber without debating or voting.
Please feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss this further.
Best regards, Jeanette Taylor
"
Alan Warman, Conservatives
"Dear Sir,
We are looking into this matter and will advise. Cllr Mrs Taylor, I believe is writing to you."
So emailing wasnt a great success! |
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Richmond Close Resident
Junior Member
United Kingdom
71 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2011 : 14:04:33
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| Oh, and George Powell neither responded to emails or a letter |
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Richmond Close Resident
Junior Member
United Kingdom
71 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2011 : 18:37:22
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Well, perhaps the councillors read this site as just now I have had another reply to add to the 4 above
Councillor Phyllis Ballam wrote:
"I am totally against the incinerator and, as far as I am aware, so are all my fellow Conservative candidates for both the Town and District Councils.
There are no advantages to Ware in having the incinerator. It is not our waste, but industrial waste imported from elsewhere. Apart from its appearance and the unknown level of emissions, it would undoubtedly bring about many more heavy lorry movements. We do not want it." |
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Scottman
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
1760 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2011 : 18:57:45
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The sense of awareness of the issues is clearly, if belatedly, growing amongst our locally elected politicians. Some of them seem to get it now. I hope all the BIG team is pleased to see that their message is getting through.
I hope the electorate endorses them with equal clarity, and they follow through on the electorate's wishes. |
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mb1
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
2142 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2011 : 19:23:05
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There is some evidence in report backs from council candidates that the incinerator is being raised spontaneously by voters on the doorsteps. The reports also say that opposition in Ware to the idea is pretty much unanimous. The Burnign Issue campaign is achieving its goals in terms of public education at least!
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IGS
WoLFer
736 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2011 : 01:06:17
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quote:
Originally posted by helen.m
i would like to know which councillors are vehemntly against the proposed incinerator, those who are not sure and those who think it is a great idea because as far as i am concerned, there is no bigger issue in ware for the coming local elections. if the proposal gets the go ahead, ware will be changed forever into a massive industrial site, there will be no going back. so if i could suggest all those standing for election make their views very, very clear
Hi Helen.m; have you asked those who are standing or did you just ask the current lot? From what I've seen (Labour, Conservative, Lib-Dems) is that nobody who lives in Ware is for this monstrosity so therefore we should get together to make surec it doesn't happen. |
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Aardvaark
Average Member
United Kingdom
224 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 11:31:28
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The Tories are out in force in Ware High Street this morning. I was stopped and asked if I would vote for them next week - I said Not until you ALL give an assurance that you will fight the Incinerator. Jeanette Taylor told me they were all against it so I asked her why George Powell hadn't said anything at the town meeting, and didn't reply to any emails or letters about it. She said she would have a word with him (!) but then only wanted to tell me all the wonderful things they had done for Ware over the last 20 years. Then another woman came over and dismissed me with a wave of her hand and said to Jeanette Taylor - "Don't bother with her - she's one of the Taliban".
Guess that gives some indication of how the local Tories feel about those who are against the Incinerator then, whatever they might say to try and get everyone's votes next week. |
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mb1
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
2142 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 12:06:47
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| Like it - I think I need an 'Incinerator Taliban' t-shirt! |
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ChoosySuzy
WoLFer
United Kingdom
645 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 13:14:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Aardvaark
The Tories are out in force in Ware High Street this morning. I was stopped and asked if I would vote for them next week - I said Not until you ALL give an assurance that you will fight the Incinerator. Jeanette Taylor told me they were all against it so I asked her why George Powell hadn't said anything at the town meeting, and didn't reply to any emails or letters about it. She said she would have a word with him (!) but then only wanted to tell me all the wonderful things they had done for Ware over the last 20 years. Then another woman came over and dismissed me with a wave of her hand and said to Jeanette Taylor - "Don't bother with her - she's one of the Taliban".
Guess that gives some indication of how the local Tories feel about those who are against the Incinerator then, whatever they might say to try and get everyone's votes next week.
This contemptuous treatment of voters is an absolute disgrace and referring to people who disagree with the Conservative policy of cosying up to Biffa as the Taliban is deeply offensive.
Local councillors are elected representatives and are duty bound to respond to electors' emails. This consistent refusal to reply is at best incompetent and at worse deceitful. It's an open secret that George Powell is in favour of the incinerator and his unwillingness to nail his colours to the mast is dishonest and cowardly.
None of the Conservative candidates (Terence Milner, Malcolm Alexander and Maria Page-Croft) who are standing in my ward (Trinity) mentioned the incinerator in their election publicity. In fact Maria Page-Croft doesn't even seem to be sure about which ward she's standing in as her election address invites voters in St Mary's ward to contact her.
The Tories do claim in their district council election publicity that they would "continue to oppose" the incinerator. So talking to Biffa, promoting the incinerator on Conservative publicity and refusing to meet with BIG is their idea of opposition 
So are they bunglers or blatant liars?
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Scottman
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
1760 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 13:29:59
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| We should only support candidates that have placed their opposition to the Incinerator in writing in their election material. |
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Scouter
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
1287 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 14:20:30
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George Powell did reply to my emails. One was to try & clarify the piece he wrote in the Ware Matters leaflet and the other was to find out if he opposes it.
Without reproducing either in full (they are extensive) he said the following on the second one quote:
I hope I have made clear that I am opposed to the Westmill site for an incineration plant although I am not opposed to such installtions per se
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spear
Advanced Member
1380 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 15:40:31
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quote:
Originally posted by ChoosySuzy
quote:
Originally posted by Aardvaark
The Tories are out in force in Ware High Street this morning. I was stopped and asked if I would vote for them next week - I said Not until you ALL give an assurance that you will fight the Incinerator. Jeanette Taylor told me they were all against it so I asked her why George Powell hadn't said anything at the town meeting, and didn't reply to any emails or letters about it. She said she would have a word with him (!) but then only wanted to tell me all the wonderful things they had done for Ware over the last 20 years. Then another woman came over and dismissed me with a wave of her hand and said to Jeanette Taylor - "Don't bother with her - she's one of the Taliban".
Guess that gives some indication of how the local Tories feel about those who are against the Incinerator then, whatever they might say to try and get everyone's votes next week.
This contemptuous treatment of voters is an absolute disgrace and referring to people who disagree with the Conservative policy of cosying up to Biffa as the Taliban is deeply offensive.
Local councillors are elected representatives and are duty bound to respond to electors' emails. This consistent refusal to reply is at best incompetent and at worse deceitful. It's an open secret that George Powell is in favour of the incinerator and his unwillingness to nail his colours to the mast is dishonest and cowardly.
None of the Conservative candidates (Terence Milner, Malcolm Alexander and Maria Page-Croft) who are standing in my ward (Trinity) mentioned the incinerator in their election publicity. In fact Maria Page-Croft doesn't even seem to be sure about which ward she's standing in as her election address invites voters in St Mary's ward to contact her.
The Tories do claim in their district council election publicity that they would "continue to oppose" the incinerator. So talking to Biffa, promoting the incinerator on Conservative publicity and refusing to meet with BIG is their idea of opposition
So are they bunglers or blatant liars?
As I was given to understand when the issue first arose some at least were in favour - the Conservative opposition (such as it is) only seems to have materialised when they realised the strong feelings of the voters.
I cannot believe that the leaflet was not seen and approved by all of them. What they put in there is either correct, in which case they should explain, or incorrect in which case they should explain why they put it out knowing that. |
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steve
Moderator
United Kingdom
1354 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 16:49:58
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It's striking how local politicians completely ignore the web. Most businesses know the value of a web presence yet local politicians seem to completely ignore the medium. A rare exception appears to be the Tory candidates in Hertford's Castle Ward, who detail all their manifestos at http://castleward.posterous.com. Given the ease with which this is possible, how come so few local politicians do this?
IGS? |
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mb1
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
2142 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 18:43:24
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| Agreed. A very simple blog with a basic position statement and a few updates would put anyone in Ware ahead of the pack. Add a facebook page that people could like and you'd be light years beyond the others in terms of communication. |
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Jacko
Average Member
United Kingdom
186 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 21:09:25
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| Is it not all a sad irrelevance? We will get Tories albeit (maybe) a reduced mandate. |
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steve
Moderator
United Kingdom
1354 Posts |
Posted - 30 Apr 2011 : 21:50:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Jacko
Is it not all a sad irrelevance? We will get Tories albeit (maybe) a reduced mandate.
Sad indeed that the Tories don't even have to justify their existence on the council and that "the people" will unquestioningly vote for them.
A bad example of democracy. |
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local elections & incinerator
