Usk Recycle Facility. How the Councillors voted

Published: 20 November 2020

Residents in Usk and surrounding area will have seen that MCC have wasted no time in dismantling the recycling centre.

UTC and SURF had continued to campaign for it to remain open beyond the Cabinet decision to close but, disappointingly, we were not able to delay or reverse the decision despite support from County Councillors outside of our area.

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni proposed a motion to the full Monmouthshire County Council meeting held on 22nd of October:

“That this Council is disappointed by the Conservative cabinet’s decision to close Usk recycling centre and believes the Cabinet should have worked with Usk residents, the Surf campaign group and Usk Town Council to remedy the problems at the site and deliver a solution that worked for everyone.”

That motion was debated in a somewhat testy hour with supportive contributions from a number of councillors. The meeting can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Edt5OxGWA. [at duration marker 2:51]

Given the importance of the decision to this area, Cllr Batrouni asked for a recorded vote.

No local councillor voted for the motion.

In relation to our local councillors the votes were as follows:

Cllr Brian Strong (C) (Usk) – Abstained

Cllr Val Smith (Ind) (Llanbadoc) – Against

Cllr Louise Brown (C) (Shirenewton) – Against

Cllr Peter Clarke (C) (Llangybi) – Left the meeting but had been supportive of retention of the Facility at the preceding Select Committee

Cllr Bob Greenland (C) (Devauden/Llangwm) – Against

Cllr Penny Jones (C) (Raglan) – Against

Cllr Bryan Jones (C) (Goytre) - Against

There was consistent support for the Usk Recycling Facility from a number of councillors out of our immediate area. All of those were supporting our argument for the Facility to reopen, at least on a trial basis, whilst applying the electronic booking system and social distancing measures that had been put in place to good effect in the other county facilities and to allow time for better monitoring and for the facility recycling usage to improve. We would like to thank the following Councillors, and all those that also spoke at the preceding Select Committee, for their support.

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni (L);

Cllr Tony Easson (L);

Cllr Martin Groucutt (L);

Cllr Roger Harris (L);

Cllr Jim Higginson (L);

Cllr Simon Howarth (Ind);

Cllr Dave Jones (Ind);

Cllr Frances Taylor (Ind);

Cllr Tudor Thomas (L);

Cllr Kevin Williams (L).