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HOWARD'S WAY.... a weekly column from Michael Howard MP

27 July 2006

 

Last Friday, together with County Councillor Susan Carey, District Councillor Shirley Newlands and Damian Collins, the Prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Folkestone and Hythe, I visited the site in Lympne which is one of four identified by the County Council as the possible location for a refuse incinerator.

The County Council is consulting on this via a website www.kentwaste.dialoguebydesign.net.

I have two reservations about this. First of all the County Council have admitted to me that they have not yet carried out a detailed assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of each site. Secondly, the fact that the consultation is to take place mainly online may put some people off.

I have asked for as much detailed information as is available at this stage to enable me to make a fully informed response. I would also like to be able to take into account the views of my constituents. In addition to replying to the County Council on their website you can let me have your views on the website which Damian and I have set up. 

It is www.no-lympne-incinerator.com and you can also respond via email to: petition@no-lympne-incinerator.com. 

From there Damian and I went to Hope Farm at Crete Lane East for one of my regular meetings with the local branch of the NFU. Farmers have a number of legitimate grievances about the way they have been treated by the present Government. High amongst them is the disgraceful failure to pay the Single Farm Payments which every other member of state of the European Union has managed to pay to their farmers.

While we were at Hope Farm we were shown the facility for composting Shepway’s waste which is making such a significant contribution to the way in which our own waste is dealt with. Farmers are always being asked to diversify. This project seems to me to be an outstanding example of diversification which is helping to achieve our environmental objectives. It seems to me a pointer to the future. I certainly hope so.