‘Broken promises’ over Corby contaminated land for families
Parents complain over council's lack of transparency on the Corby contaminated land scandal
Corby parents have complained about a lack of transparency on contaminated land in the town, after promises from a local councillor that it would be discussed at a public meeting fell through.
Public pressure on North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) to reveal the sites where toxic waste was buried has grown, after the release of Netflix’s Toxic Town and a BBC Sounds podcast earlier this year.
In recent days, the Secretary of State for Health Wes Streeting has also joined calls for the local authorities to be transparent and accountable about the disposal of toxic water waste and the long-lasting damage on families.
This comes after new concerns were raised about children’s cancer rates in the town and whether the cases have been driven by the waste that remains buried across Corby, in the aftermath of the steelworks closure.
Families had hoped to raise the issue directly with North Northants authorities at its full council meeting on Thursday, October 30, but were denied a public speaking slot due to legal concerns.
Alison Gaffney, a Corby mum heading the local childhood cancer investigation, said that she raised concerns about not being permitted to speak with Oakley Ward Cllr Trevor Conway (Reform UK), who assured her in writing that it would be spoken about at the meeting.
However, the contaminated land issue was not brought up by councillors during the hour and a half meeting, despite parents sitting the the Corby Cube public gallery waiting to hear what they would say.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after the meeting, Alison and her husband Andy Hinde said: “We’re disgusted that they’re not taking this seriously, they’re not bringing it to the front and they’re not discussing it when there’s an absolute need for the Corby people to have answers.
“We were absolutely deflated that we were waiting at the council meeting for this to be brought up and then it was not mentioned. It’s broken promises.
“We’ve got very angry parents who just want help to get to the bottom of this.
“Enough with the statements, we want a face-to-face meeting. We’re entitled to a voice and we are entitled, if we have concerns, to be answered appropriately.”
Responding to the concerns, North Northants Leader Cllr Martin Griffiths explained that there was no item on the agenda about the contaminated land “so it couldn’t be discussed”.
He also said that he was not aware on the night that there were families in the public gallery and, had he known, he would have gone and spoken to them himself. He added that when the council has more information, it will share this with families and be open and transparent.
On the parents being refused a public questions slot, a spokesperson for North Northants Council said: “Like all local authorities, the council has procedures in place to manage requests to raise questions at full council.
“In this instance, it was deemed that it would be inappropriate for this question to be asked as it is subject to a live enquiry between the requestor’s legal team and the Council’s legal team.
“We have offered reassurance that the question is under consideration and the Council will respond to the requestor’s legal representative.”
Cllr Griffiths released a statement earlier this week, recognising the level of concern around the handling of the disposal of waste from the former British Steel site in Corby and NNC’s duty to represent residents.
He said the council was approached by a group of residents requesting information about the number of childhood cancer cases and decided to carry out work to investigate relevant NHS data, but that it “will take time as it’s crucial that we get this right”.
He continued: “As soon as we have the outcomes, we will share our findings initially with the residents who asked for this work to be done, and then we will share them publicly.
“I understand that people are worried about potentially contaminated land and want answers, particularly where land has subsequently been built upon. We will continue to review this and when this is concluded, will provide a further update.
“We will continue to listen to the concerns of our residents and will consider any firm evidence that is brought forward. I will continue to have oversight and receive regular updates and when we have further information to share, we will do so.”
Cllr Trevor Conway has been approached for comment.