Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, Since Dundee City Council started to send waste to the DERL incinerator in 2000, it has spent £13,060,460 in gate fees (the fees charged to the council for each tonne of waste at the plant).
Sending the same amount of waste to landfill would have cost £20,120,906 including landfill tax. On the face of it, this would seem to vindicate the council.
However, when the council rescued the plant from bankruptcy in 2004, it took on the plant’s debts, which stand at £42 million.
The plant continues to make a loss of £500,000 each year. Further costs related to the rescue bid included £1m to buy the plant, £2.46m on improvements and £3.3m in loans, adding up to a further £6.76m. In total, the DERL plant has cost Dundee City Council £62,320,461.
The DERL incinerator was Scotland’s first private finance initiative project, and it has been very costly.
There is also the ”level playing field subsidy” paid by the Scottish Government. Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross councils pay £28 for each tonne they send to DERL, with the Scottish Government paying another £28, making a total of £56 per tonne.
Altogether, since 2000, the three local authorities have burnt 635,070 tonnes of waste at DERL. This has cost them £17,781,960 (at £28 per tonne), with the same amount again from the Scottish Government.
To calculate the total burden on the public purse, we need to add together:
Debt taken on by Dundee City Council £42,500,000; other costs £6,760,000; gate fees £17,781,960; government subsidy £17,781,960.
This gives a total of £84,823,920.
What a pity this was not invested in recycling.
Michael Gallagher.33 Precinct Street,Coupar Angus.
Looking after late-night revellers
Sir From your editorial concerning street pastors (October 13) it would appear that our local paper may not be aware of the ministry to night clubbers in Dundee which has been carried out by R.O.C.K street chaplains over the past 11 years.
In their high-visibility jackets, teams comprising members of a number of city churches are on the streets three nights a week as the clubs close.
Their ”tools’ include lollipops and flip-flops (for tired feet and broken stilettos) and their main concern is the safety and welfare of the clubbers.
Their work is recognised and valued by the police and by club and bar licensees. Further information about the registered charity is available at www.dundeerockstreetchaplains.com.
Ian R. Grant.East Mains House,Auchterhouse.
Fuel prices are an affront to society
Sir, Ofgem’s revelation that the big six energy firms have increased their profits eightfold since June will undoubtedly make millions of irate customers even more furious.
After all, these profits come as the Government tells us there are now one million Scottish households living in fuel poverty.
Energy bills have doubled in the past five years, whilst wages, benefits and pensions have not.
The combined bill for gas and electricity now also includes 20% VAT, which means we are paying some of the highest energy prices in the world. And all this at a time when living standards are plummeting.
The Scottish Socialist Party believes fuel poverty is an affront to our society.
We want the Government to cap these bills so that anyone paying more than 9.95% of their income should receive an immediate winter fuel allowance to prevent them slipping into fuel poverty.
The chancellor may wish to reflect on the wisdom of his decision to cut the winter fuel allowance paid to pensioners. And Alex Salmond should likewise reverse his decision to withdraw help to those trying to install more efficient heating systems and improved insulation.
The industry must be returned to public hands. Only then will supply of heat and light be the uppermost objective, ahead of corporate profiteering.
Colin Fox.Scottish Socialist Party,8 Alloway Loan,Edinburgh.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.