Settlement reached in dispute

An out of court settlement has been reached by two councils in their dispute with the Government over withdrawing financial support for their waste management project.

By The Newsroom

Published 24th Jan 2014, 05:00 BST

Bradford and Calderdale councils will not pursue a judicial review into how the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reached its decision.

The Government withdrew the £62.1 million credits without any prior warning or consultation with the councils, just a few months away from construction starting on site, even though DEFRA had been closely involved in the waste project, said Bradford Council.

Councillor Andrew Thornton, Bradford Council’s executive member for environment and sport, said: “We took legal action because we felt that DEFRA should be held to account for a decision that has cost our tax payers millions of pounds.”

Pulling the credits ended the prospect of a partnership between the councils and a consortium of companies, known as Pennine Resource Recovery, planning to build a resource recovery facility at Bowling Back Lane.