Toxic Town parents 'disgusted' at lack of discussion

Families said they were "disgusted" after council discussions about the locations where toxic waste was buried in a town did not go ahead.

Dozens of families, who suspect the clearing of Corby's steelworks in the 1980s is behind childhood cancers and birth defects in the area, asked North Northamptonshire Council to reveal where toxic waste was buried.

Alison Gaffney, a Corby mum heading the local childhood cancer investigation, said: "There's an absolute need for the Corby people to have answers."

The leader of the council, Martin Griffiths, explained there was no item on the council's agenda about the contaminated land "so it couldn't be discussed" at a full meeting last week.

Public pressure on the Reform UK-controlled local authority has grown following the release of Netflix's Toxic Town and a BBC Sounds podcast earlier this year.

Lee Barron, the MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire and Secretary of State for Health Wes Streeting have also joined calls for greater transparency and

Families had hoped to raise the issue of where the waste was buried directly with North Northamptonshire authorities at its full council meeting on Thursday, but they were denied a public speaking slot due to legal concerns.

Speaking to the The Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Mrs Gaffney and her husband Andy Hinde said: "We're disgusted that they're not taking this seriously - they're not bringing it to the front and they're not discussing it when there's an absolute need for the Corby people to have answers.

"We were absolutely deflated that we were waiting [at the council meeting] for this to be brought up and then it was not mentioned. It's broken promises.

"We've got very angry parents who just want help to get to the bottom of this.

"Enough with the statements, we want a face-to-face meeting. We're entitled to a voice and we are entitled, if we have concerns, to be answered appropriately."

The leader of the council, Martin Griffiths, explained there was no item on the agenda about the contaminated land "so it couldn't be discussed".

He also said that he was not aware on the night that there were families in the public gallery and, had he known, he would have gone and spoken to them himself.

The council leader added that when the council has more information, it would share this with families and be open and transparent.

Addressing the parents being refused a public questions slot, a spokesperson for North Northamptonshire Council said: "Like all local authorities, the council has procedures in place to manage requests to raise questions at full council.

"In this instance, it was deemed that it would be inappropriate for this question to be asked as it is subject to a live enquiry between the requestor's legal team and the council's legal team.

"We have offered reassurance that the question is under consideration and the council will respond to the requestor's legal representative."

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