DISC (Dalton Incinerator Steering Committee) has joined forces with villages opposed to the proposed Allerton Park waste incinerator and has written to all 72 county councillors asking them to state where they stand on the issue, before next month's County Council elections are held.

A number of public meetings have been held over the last few weeks attended by villages that could be affected by the building of an incinerator plant.

These include Whixley, Goldsborough, Flaxby, Coneythorpe, Great and Little Ouseburn, Green Hammerton and Allerton Maulever and Hopperton.

But David Andrews, Chair of DISC, says he understands the county council has written to all members telling them that they shouldn't 'make statements that would suggest that they have already made up their minds. . .or may prejudice their ability to take part in future decision making on this issue.'

"The reason we are opposing plans for the incinerator is that we care about our environment and the people who live in that environment both now and for generations to come," said Mr Andrews. "As far as we're concerned this is not a political issue, it's a human issue which directly involves the very people who elect the county councillors.

"I think it's disgraceful that those councillors should now be told they aren't allowed to support the views of the people who voted them into power."

Mr Andrews said DISC were calling on the Assistant Chief Executive to retract her statement.

He said the Standards Board for England had issued legal guidance which quite clearly stated that "the fact that a councillor may have made it clear that he has a policy predisposition to favour a particular outcome in relation to a decision to which he is party does not mean that it is unlawful for him to participate in making that decision."

DISC was initially formed to fight plans to site the incinerator at Dalton, near Thirsk, but has now become the protest group for residents living in villages around the three sites thought to be favoured for the multi million pound waste development. These are Dalton, Allerton Quarry and Burn Airfield.

In response, North Yorkshire County Council said county councillors had been advised by the Council's legal officers that in relation to the questionnaire circulated by DISC they must bear in mind any future decisions they might have to take for the Council on waste management.

Councillors have been asked to take into account guiding principles:

That if they are to be involved in decision making on any particular issue they must show that they have an open mind to the merits of any argument relating to it.

It is not a problem for members to be predisposed - ie. to hold a preliminary view in favour or against an issue, but they must not appear to have already decided in advance how they will vote on a matter so that nothing will change their mind.