By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison
Westbury’s waste incinerator has caught the attention of the deputy prime minister.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 5th November, Westbury MP Andrew Murrison was one of the backbench MPs selected at random by ballot to pose a question to the deputy PM, David Lammy.
It was Mr Lammy’s first go at fielding questions during PMQs since he was appointed deputy PM in September. Keir Starmer was on his way to Brazil for the COP 30 environmental summit.
And it was on environmental matters that Andrew Murrison, the Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire, wanted answers.
“Burning waste is as polluting as burning coal, and we already have incinerator over capacity,” he told the House.
“So when will this government renew the last government’s pause on new incinerators?
“When will it end perverse deliver or pay contracts within incinerator companies?
“And when will it deliver an incineration tax, like the landfill tax, to encourage waste reduction, reuse, and recycling?”
Responding, the deputy PM said, “The honourable gentleman is very experienced. He knows that our country’s future on energy is in renewables.
“That’s why we’re investing in renewables, and you should listen carefully to what the Prime Minister has got to say when he gets to COP.
“The chancellor will have heard his observation in terms of further taxes. He’s got to wait until the end of the month to see what happens.”
Works on the £200 million Northacre Renewable Energy began last month.
The facility will burn non-recyclable waste to generate electricity.
The company expects the Westbury plant to produce its first megawatt-hours of electricity in 2028.
It is limited to burning 243,000 tonnes of rubbish a year and will be regulated by the Environment Agency.
The scheme is opposed by Westbury Town Council, and by locals who have formed the No Westbury Incinerator group.
Wiltshire Climate Alliance also opposes the development, pointing out that the facility will emit both CO2 and microparticles.
A spokesperson for the project said, “The Northacre Renewable Energy facility will treat waste locally, reducing the need for it to travel long distances.
“Energy recovery facilities result in less waste ending up in landfill. This is good news for the environment because landfill produces many more greenhouse gas emissions than other methods of waste treatment.”
Mr Murrison last raised the issue of incinerators in the Commons in May, telling the House, “One of the burning issues in my constituency is that of waste incinerators.
“When can we have a debate on the Government’s proposals for either placing a moratorium on them, as happens in Scotland and Wales, or introducing a tax on incineration—a bit like the landfill tax—to encourage the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste?”
Pictured: MP Andrew Murrison at PMQs
