DOGE'd Durham: Labour Calls Facts 'Fiction' – Only, Our Incinerator Sums Are As Clear Cut As The Definition Of A Woman
Six Labour councils have accused Reform Durham of “making up” our savings on the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility.
Six Labour-run councils have issued a joint statement calling Reform Durham’s claim of savings on the Tees Valley Energy Recovery Facility “blatantly false” and “fiction.” You’d think they might be grateful that, unlike the Lib Dems in Durham or each of their Labour administrations, Reform in Durham came in and demanded better from the dud deal they’d bound us into. They’ve accused us of lying about forcing better value and of taking credit for negotiations they claim were already finished.
Here are the facts.
WHAT WE INHERITED
Labour started the waste-burner deal and the Liberal Democrats waved it through in April 2022.
By the time Reform took office in May 2025, Durham was locked into a contract with punitive withdrawal costs that made walking away seem impossible. But we said no. And issued several public statements and X posts to that effect.
At the point of preferred bidder status the gate fee, as in the cost implications to Durham and other North East authorities being able to throw their waste into an incinerator was sky-high. This was confirmed in independent reports that we commissioned over the summer. The winner of the procurement, Viridor, has now dropped that gate fee? Why would they do that? Kind benevolence? Or a large local authority that refuses to allow Durham to fall fowl of Labour and Lib Dem incompetence?
WHY WE HAD CONCERNS
Long-term exposure: a 40- to 50-year contract with no secure exit and limited oversight.
Cost escalation: the landfill comparison showed a worse financial position under Labour’s draft and the Lib Dems’ signature.
Environmental risk: unclear liability if the plant contaminated its site.
Governance gaps
Reform’s stance was simple: don’t sign a generational contract until it’s been pulled apart and re-costed.
WHAT WE DID
From May onwards we pressed officers to test every assumption after this dud deal landed on our desks.
By the summer Officers were instructed to sharpen their pencils and get back to their desks.
The councils’ own joint statement later confirmed it:
“Councils and Viridor have been working since July to ensure the project delivers the best value for local residents, which has resulted in additional savings of tens of millions of pounds.”
That’s Labour’s signature, not ours. They can’t deny it now.
EVIDENCE OF REFORM’S PRESSURE
Andrew Husband’s public posts show we were still fighting for improvements while Labour stayed quiet:
6 Sept 2025: “The Reform administration oppose the incinerator. Officers took a delegated decision with the process having started well before our arrival. We are investigating our options.”
11 Sept 2025: “There is zero confidence in TVERF. Who would commit to a 25- to 40-year multibillion deal knowing other councils don’t want another incinerator either?...”
And on the official record, Cllr Kyle Genner told full council:
“A great deal more work and financial modelling has been diligently done, and this Reform administration has gone to great lengths to ensure that Durham and the wider body of councils that make up the group get the best possible value for money.”
That’s not political spin — it’s in the minutes.
THE RESULT
£73 million saved for County Durham residents
Nearly £250 million saved across Tees Valley
Future-proofed plant capable of powering new industries like AI data centres and carbon-capture operations
Profit share from taking private-sector waste that goes back into local services
Future savings potentially to be found
As Cllr Andrew Husband said:
“Labour started it, the Lib Dems signed it, and taxpayers would have paid for it. Reform challenged it, fixed it, and delivered savings — not just for Durham, but for councils we haven’t even won yet.”
THE TRUTH ABOUT LABOUR’S CLAIM
Labour and the Lib Dems want to pretend the improvements just happened.
The truth is, their original draft was a lazy copy-and-paste job — weak on cost control, long on spin. They cared more about getting awards for being ‘Net Zero heroes’ than champions for their local residents.
Reform refused to nod it through. We forced extra modelling, challenged the gate-fee structure, and secured a better deal for residents. That’s why the partnership’s own statement admits “additional savings of tens of millions.”
BOTTOM LINE
Labour can sneer about credit; they can’t dispute arithmetic.
Reform challenged, fixed, and delivered.
They virtue-signal. We save money.
Now put that neatly into a simple leaflet and get teams of 4 people at a time to dish out the truth at train stations early morning and as many neighbourhoods as your shoe leather can bear. The internet is fine but in any given street in Durham, how many people read things on t'internet. TO BE REALLY SUCCESSFUL YOU MUST GET LEAFLETS THROUGH LETTER BOXES!
Absolutely amazing!