A letter to the Malton & Pickering Mercury....
Sir
I read, with interest, your report on Cllr John Savage's decision to join the left-wing Liberal Party.
Whilst it is possible that he has the "deep misgivings about the financial cuts nationally", that he aired when leaving the Conservative Group last August, I am not convinced that this was the real reason for his departure.
Your readers may like to consider that Cllr Savage's home is only two miles from the County Council's proposed new waste treatment facility near Knaresborough and that his new best friends are among the principal opponents of that plant. It is my opinion that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the 'not in my back yard' objections of the NIMBY, after all almost no one would want an incinerator (or even a sour gas plant) on their doorstep, but it is patently dishonest for a politician to claim a less selfish motivation for their protests.
Incidentally Ryedale residents may like to know that Liberal Party policy on the treatment of waste clearly states that they "would welcome a nation-wide programme for the construction of small scale incineration plants." So presumably, if Cllrs. Savage and Clark manage to stop the Knaresborough facility going ahead, all of us can look forward to having waste incinerators built in our back yards.
Kind Regards
