Öpik Attacks Government Attitude In Masts Debate

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 7th Mar 2006

Lembit Öpik MP has condemned the Government's approach in a debate on telecommunications masts which took place at the end of last week.

Lembit said: 'The Government is playing 'Ostrich' politics, sticking its head in the sand and pretending there isn't a problem.

'We've had problems across mid-Wales, particularly in Caersws and Llanidloes, with telecoms masts being imposed against the will of local communities. This Bill would have made a big difference by giving local people more power over where, when and whether masts are built in their area.

'But the Government is refusing to listen. Politicians from all parties queued up to support this Bill on Friday, but the Minister 'talked it out', which means the Bill won't go any further anytime soon.'

Speaking in the debate on Friday, Lembit said one of the major problems was that campaigners felt patronized and ignored by the Government.

'I held a one-day conference in Westminster on this issue last year and there were representatives from all the groups involved, including the mobile service operators, but the Government refused to attend.

'Labour's so-called commitment to localism is a sham. I want to see power devolved to real people in local communities. It shouldn't be up to a Whitehall pen-pusher to decide if there needs to be a 14 metre mast in Llanidloes. It should be up to the people of Llanidloes.

'In Caersws, after a long hard campaign, we managed to get the Mast there taken down in September. And everyone on that campaign deserves congratulations for all the work they put in. But people shouldn't have to fight to get control over their own communities.

'This Bill would give local people the power that should be their natural right. I'll do all I can to make the Government sit up and adopt these proposals.'