A leading opposition councillor at Gloucestershire CC has said he is ‘deeply worried' by the Conservative-led council's decision to award a £500m contract to build a new waste incinerator before planning permission has been determined by the authority's planning committee.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, leader of the county's Liberal Democrats, said: ‘This could put undue pressure on planning committee members to grant permission in order to avoid the severe financial liabilities the council would have to cover if the waste incinerator had to be cancelled.'