Protest threat over Bishop's Castle biomass plant

Councillors in a Shropshire town have threatened to boycott a county-wide charter in protest at a decision to build a £5 million biomass plant.

Three members of Bishop's Castle Town Council want their colleagues to have a rethink over plans to sign the Shropshire Charter - a working agreement with Shropshire Council - claiming the authority ignored local opinion on a biomass plant at the town's business park.

Councillors had provisionally decided to sign the charter but now the issue will be discussed again at Bishop's Castle Town Council on Tuesday evening.

The charter has been offered to all town and parish councils to improve working links with Shirehall.

Mary Holton, town councillor, said: "We've been constantly told by Shropshire Council and the planning committee that in future decisions will be made from the bottom up.

"Something like 10 per cent of the population of Bishop's Castle turned up, on a week day, to say how unhappy they were about the situation. It's pretty obvious local opinion and local feeling has been totally ignored. If they are not willing to stand by their charter themselves, I don't see any point in us signing it."

Councillor Steve Farr said: "We want to bring it back on the table and re-discuss it. We haven't decided we don't want to sign it but we had previously said we would."

Councillor Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for partnership working, said: "There will always be times when we won't agree on issues and the charter is all about councils working together through difficult times like this."