April 11, 2012
England

Locals need a say on wind farms, says council leader

The Berwick Advertiser, www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk 11 April 2012

A council leader has called for Northumberland residents to be given a greater say in shaping wind farm policy in the county.

Lib Dem leader of Northumberland County Council, Coun Jeff Reid, made the call following a Conservative motion to suspend all wind farm decisions until a county-wide policy is agreed.

He said: “Last week the Conservatives voted against a Lib Dem proposal to give local people a bigger say in the council’s wind farm policy.

“They have tried to politicise a matter that concerns us all and their motion to Northumberland County Council, if accepted, could have cost the council millions of pounds in legal challenges. Unlike the Conservatives, the Lib Dems in Northumberland want to give local people a say in where wind farms are built in our county.

“I have spoken to many local people who are surprised at the Conservatives’ double standards on this issue. On one hand they oppose every wind farm application but on the other they still go ahead and try to get planning permission to get them built on large country estates that they own.

“We need an open strategy, with the people of Northumberland involved in shaping it – not a strategy based on the vested interests of the Conservatives.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/04/11/locals-need-a-say-on-wind-farms-says-council-leader/