Lib Dems' Proposals to Save Millions

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 29th Oct 2006

Liberal Democrats are welcoming the proposal for Milton Keynes Council (MKC) and Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) to save millions of tax payers' money by working together in the procurement of waste disposal facilities.

Earlier this year, MKC agreed to an appraisal to establish the pros and cons of joint working - and the results are now in. The appraisal was highly successful and proved that millions of pounds can be saved by having a joint MKC/NCC waste disposal facility. This new facility would process black sack waste to further reduce the need to deposit waste as landfill - a benefit both to the environment and to the taxpayer.

Announcing that the Liberal Democrats intend to support the proposal, Councillor Douglas McCall, cabinet member for the environment, said: "We are excited by the opportunity to work together with Northamptonshire County Council for the mutual benefit of our residents. Due to the economies of scale involved, both councils will be able to save their local council tax-payers millions of pounds."

Both MKC and NCC are both growth areas, they may be hit harder than other councils by the Government's Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS), which fines councils that put too much rubbish into landfill, but doesn't take account of growing populations.

Douglas McCall added: "We have a lot in common with Northants. We are both growth areas and we are both opposed to incineration. It makes sense for us to work together on waste disposal for the benefit of both the environment and MK taxpayers."