Council slammed over cancelled meetings

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigner John Mulhall has made a formal complaint to Warrington Borough Council for failing to call a meeting of a “watchdog” committee for seven months.
Mr Mulhall says the council is obliged by its own standing orders to call a meeting of the Arpley Landfill Site Liaison Committee every three months.
But no meeting has been held for seven months – and the council has not appointed a chairman of the committee to replace former councillor Alan Litton, who stepped down at the May elections.
A meeting of the committee should have been held last week, according to Mr Mulhall.
But he said it was cancelled at the last minute.
The liaison committee consists of representatives of the borough council, site operators Waste Recycling Group (WRG), the Environment Agency, local parish councils and local residents.
Mr Mulhall said he had been told no meetings had been held because there was no business to discuss.
But he retorted: “It is not up to the council to cancel meetings. The Environment Agency, parish councils or residents could well have business to put before the committee.”
WRG’s contract to tip at Arpley expires in January 2013 and it is expected that the company will seek a 12-year extension to their contract.
Mr Mulhall believes the liaison committee should be monitoring the situation closely.
He has used the Freedom of Information Act to ask the council how many meetings have taken place between council officers and WRG over the last 12 months, including meetings of the liaison committee, the dates of the meetings and how long they lasted.
Last month, the borough council’s executive board agreed to invite high tech waste disposal companies to put forward options for how the borough disposes of its waste in future.
The council is prepared to consider using any proven technology – but says there are no suitable sites within the borough.
However suitable sites exist, or are planned, at Runcorn, Widnes, Northwich and Leyland. There is also the possibility of a site in St Helens and more could come to light.

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