In a Sutton Council Standards Committee last night, Lib Dem councillors voted against holding an inquiry into donations given by Viridor, the company constructing the constroversial Beddington incinerator, to a Lib Dem-linked church.
Former Lib Dem councillor, and current Lib Dem party chairman, John Drage, has a long friendship with Viridor boss Colin Drummond in 2012. His wife and Lib Dem election agent, Elaine, is godmother to Mr Drummond’s son Alex, and is a volunteer at Holy Trinity church in Wallington. The church has hosted Lib Dem action days and councillor surgeries.
Conservative Councillors on the Standards Committee voted in favour of the inquiry. Conservative councillor for Sutton South, Tony Shields, who voted in favour of the inquiry, said: "An innocent person would take every opportunity to prove his innocence, while a guilty man would not."
Councillor Tim Crowley, leader of the Conservative group on Sutton Council said, “The construction of the Beddington incinerator is something that all residents and opposition councillors opposed. The Lib Dem decision to grant planning permission to Viridor to build it shocked and angered residents across Sutton.
“It has now emerged that the Lib Dems election agents, the Drages, who have given thousands of pounds to the Lib Dems themselves, have a personal relationship with the Chief Executive of Viridor.
“If that wasn’t enough, it also turns out that Viridor have donated a huge £275,000 to a church which is closely linked with the Lib Dems, and Viridor executives have also attended and donated at Lib Dem fundraisers.
“It is essential that these donations be robustly investigated, as residents deserve to know the truth behind whether Viridor would have been granted planning permission if those donations had not been made.”
To join the winning team and stop the Lib Dems, email us on [email protected].