Three town councils back proposed contaminated land law
Kettering, Corby, and Wellingborough advocate for public safety with Zane’s Law
Three town councils have backed a proposed law aimed at increasing transparency around contaminated land, after North Northamptonshire Council voted against supporting it earlier this year.
Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough town councils have all passed motions supporting the principles of Zane's Law, also known as the Clean Land Human Rights Bill.
The proposed legislation is named after seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola, who died after flooding at his family home in Surrey in 2014. His parents have campaigned for greater protections around contaminated land and for public access to information about potentially hazardous sites.
The campaign has attracted particular interest in North Northamptonshire because of the Corby toxic waste case, which inspired the Netflix drama Toxic Town. The series tells the story of families whose children were born with birth defects linked to the handling of waste during the dismantling of Corby's former steelworks in the 1980s.
Green Party councillor Ben Williams, who represents Ise ward on North Northamptonshire Council, said the proposed law was particularly relevant to the area because of its history with industrial contamination and the Corby toxic waste scandal.
He said the legislation would require local authorities to maintain publicly accessible records of land believed to be contaminated, allowing residents to better understand environmental risks in their communities.
Williams said he became involved because he believed people had a right to know whether they were living near potentially contaminated sites.
"Nobody should be worried about what land they're living next to or near," he said.
He described the backing from the three town councils as a "massive unifying moment" for North Northamptonshire, saying it demonstrated strong local support for greater protection from contaminated land.
The councils have also agreed to send a joint letter of support to local MPs and the leader of Reform UK-run North Northamptonshire Council.
North Northamptonshire Council previously said it would consider the proposals if they became law, but raised concerns about possible financial and operational implications for local authorities.
Williams questioned that position, arguing that if the legislation was passed nationally councils would be required to comply with it.
Despite the earlier rejection by North Northamptonshire Council, he said the campaign had continued to gather momentum at community level.
"It doesn't matter because this is about the people and this is about injustice and this is about people standing up for what's right."
We have contacted North Northamptonshire Council for comment.