Following on from the approval yesterday by the Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Matthew Pennycook, on behalf of the Secretary of State Angela Rayner, of the new Medical Waste Incinerator on the St Ives Road at the Envar site, I asked the Secretary of State why the approval had been granted and whether she would meet with local residents to hear their concerns. Despite sitting next to Matthew Pennycook, who whispered her an update as I asked the question, Angela Rayner stated that she hadn’t been involved in the decision, didn’t address the rationale behind the decision and failed to respond to my request for her to meet impacted local residents. The absence of either empathy or explanation suggests a Government with no interest in the wishes of local people, nor a willingness to respond to simple questions from MPs on behalf of their constituents. Having campaigned to stop the incinerator since last year I am appalled at both the decision to approve it and brick wall my request was met by.
