Toxic Waste Costs Revealed

7 June 2010, 08:40

The authority has revealed that £730,000 has been set aside from its budget every year - for the next 20 years - at a cost of almost £15m.

In April this year the council agreed to a settlement with 19 families.  They'd been suing the council over birth defects in their children, which they had said were caused by the authority's clear-up of the town's former steelworks and the resulting exposure to toxic materials.

For the first time, the authority has detailed the amount set aside from its budget to cover the settlement and its own substantial legal costs incurred in defending the action.

It runs to £14.6 million pounds over the next 20 years.  The detail is revealed in a report to the council's One Corby Policy Committee which also details the other financial pressures facing the council. In the next financial year it's facing a shortfall of £2.5 million, including the £730,000 for the toxic waste litigation.

The report by Head of Financial Services, Adrian Sibley, warns that it's one of the biggest financial challenges faced by the council. It could also lead to 50 jobs going in the financial year 2011/12, saving around £500,000 in salaries, although those are expected to be vacancies not being filled when staff leave.

The council say they have identified some cost savings already to offset the challenges, including just under a million pounds from reduced electricity bills, income from the new swimming pool and the Lodge Park Sports Centre.