ENVIRONMENT Minister Chris Mullin has warned Sussex councils they could lose a £49 million grant.

He criticised Brighton and Hove Council and East Sussex County Council for failing to agree waste disposal plans and stressed co-operation between local authorities was vital to ensure a successful strategy in dealing with rubbish.

Mr Mullin expressed 'disappointment' over the dispute which centres around where to site two incinerators. There are already proposals for one burner at Mountfield Mine, near Robertsbridge, but county councillors are baulking at identifying another site in their patch and say Brighton and Hove should find room to build an incinerator within its boundaries.

Mr Mullin warned the councils could lose Private Finance Initiative credits to develop an integrated waste management scheme if they could not resolve their differences. The Government cash was announced last month.

Ministers could also withdraw councils' responsibilities for dealing with waste.

He made his criticism during a Commons debate last night secured by MP Norman Baker on waste disposal in East Sussex.

The Lewes Lib Dem MP said: "Brighton and Hove - a great place that wants to be a city - should take responsibility for all aspects of its management.

"It should not simply dump its rubbish over the border in East

Sussex."

East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton, joined Mr Baker in attacking Brighton and Hove Council.

He said: "The biggest problem that he experiences in East Sussex and that I encounter in West Sussex is a unitary authority that recycles less than nine per cent of its waste and looks to our respective counties to take care of its

rubbish."

But Hove Labour MP Ivor Caplin criticised Lib Dem councillors on East Sussex County Council for failing to back a report on waste management. He stressed that officers of both councils had agreed the report and it had been approved by members of Brighton and Hove Council.

But Junior Minister Mr Mullins said: "I was disappointed to learn that the main obstacle to the plan's adoption appeared to be a dispute between the two authorities.

"Any delays or departures from the approved plan, including any caused by the difficulties between the partner local authorities, will obviously be investigated and may require renewed approval which could jeopardise the PFI credit."

Lynette Gwyn Jones, leader of Brighton and Hove Council, said: "It's crucial that we now get down to the task of making some difficult decisions and move forward with a waste local plan which utilises a range of creative solutions for the disposal of waste."

A spokeswoman for East Sussex County Council said although the local plan had been delayed officers were still making progress.

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