By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
Moves to have £2.7 million set aside to build a bulking waste facility at Abermule Business Park have been forced to be withdrawn.
The move to roll the money over to the next financial year’s budget, known as a “virement”, will have to be re-written.
More than 30 Abermule Communities Together (ACT) protesters were at County Hall to picket councillors as they turned up for a Full Council meeting.
They have identified potential sites for the facility and want to be given the chance of presenting their case to the Cabinet.
ACT had been promised the opportunity to find another site by Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Highways Recycling and Assets, at a public meeting in Abermule on 4 December.
Cllr Davies was questioned by Abermule councillor Gareth Pugh on what the money was for.
Cllr Davies replied: “The important thing to note is that this money needs to be transferred forward to the next financial year to build this facility wherever it may be.”
Cllr Pugh said: “Lets get this straight. This rollover is for the HDR (Highways and Recycling) service not the Abermule business and everything else?"
Cllr Davies confirmed: “The majority of that money is HDRs commitment to a bulk recycling facility in the north of the county.”
Cllr Pugh continued: “Just say, for instance, another site was identified would that £2.7 million follow to that other site.”
Cllr Davies answered: “Potentially, yes.”
Cllr Pugh: “If this is for the service and it follows them if another site is identified, then I could support it. If it’s for Abermule, then I can’t. The wording needs to be clarified.”
Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe said: “The community is distressed at the way this is being handled.
“There are promises being made of looking at possible sites yet this budget comes forward. The wording is unacceptable, bring the paper back with a different heading and we can support it.”
Deputy chief executive, David Powell, tried to explain to members that the virement was a “technical adjustment” to make sure the money could be used in the future.
Cllr Phyl Davies added that the promise made to the protesters was to “consider” other potential sites.
He said that no “deferral or halt” had been promised.
But faced with potentially losing a vote on the virement, Cllr Davies decided to withdraw virement.
Cllr Davies said: “Seeing as there is so much confusion we can call it the HDR virement for a recycling facility in the north. We can move it to the next meeting.”
After the meeting broke for lunch, it is understood that both Cllrs Phyl Davies and finance portfolio holder, Cllr Aled Davies, met with a delegation from ACT to discuss other sites for the bulking waste facility.
The planning application for the site, which was passed by just one vote in August 2018, has been a source of controversy.
Protest group ACT have waged a high profile campaign against the site.
Council officers have stressed that the facility could help the authority deal with hitting the Welsh Government recycling targets of 70 per cent by 2024/25.
