Fears UK county will be ‘sacrificed on the altar of Ed Miliband’s fanaticism’ as council leader lashes out at invasive pylons

WATCH NOW: Martin Hill says Ed Miliband is 'trampling' on rural Lincolnshire

GB News
Georgia Pearce

By Georgia Pearce


Published: 30/10/2024

- 10:09

Councillor Martin Hill has hit out at Miliband amid plans to erect nearly 250 pylons in Lincolnshire

The leader of Lincolnshire County Council has warned that Ed Miliband plans to approve the construction of 240 pylons across the countryside, despite local opposition.

Speaking on GB News, Conservative councillor Martin Hill expressed his concerns about the impact on rural areas, particularly in Lincolnshire.


"[Ed Miliband] certainly seems to have got it in for not only Lincolnshire, but many rural areas of this country," Hill stated.

He criticised Miliband's pursuit of net-zero targets by 2030, claiming that "common sense and the facts and the feelings of rural people, especially around Alford and the whole of rural Lincolnshire, are just being trampled on to this political ambition."

Martin Hill, Ed Miliband

Martin Hill has hit out at Ed Miliband amid plans to erect nearly 250 pylons in Lincolnshire

GB News / PA

Hill detailed the scale of the proposed infrastructure, fuming: "What's been planned is there are going to be 240 140ft high pylons going from Grimsby all the way down to The Wash."

He added that "massive substations" would surround the small town of Alford.

The councillor expressed concern about potential knock-on effects, warning: "What we'll get also is the developers are queuing up to have solar farms, etc, and onshore wind turbines to get their hands on lots of subsidies which will become available."

Hill described the plans as "a disaster" for Lincolnshire's rural coastal area.

He revealed that the council is exploring legal options to challenge what he called a "very difficult and almost vindictive way of going about business."

Hill questioned the necessity of onshore pylons, suggesting alternative solutions. "The reason given for having all these pylons is to connect the wind turbines out to sea. We are saying, actually, well, why can't we just put a cable on the seabed and take the power down to Essex?" he asked.

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Locals have protested against the plans put forward by Miliband

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The councillor pointed out that wind turbines in Scotland currently deliver power to England via seabed cables.

He challenged National Grid to provide costings, stating: "We don't believe it's more expensive to put cables on the seabed, as opposed to putting up 240 massive pylons."

Hill also raised concerns about the reliability of renewable energy sources: "When you look at this, relying on intermittent energy like wind turbines and indeed, solar, the big question is, what do you do when the wind's not blowing and the sun's not shining?"

Hill predicted dire consequences under Miliband's plans. "Under Ed Miliband plans what's going to happen is we're going to be importing power from elsewhere in Europe and elsewhere, and hoping they'll continue to supply us," he warned.

Hill told GB News that Miliband's 'fanaticism' is 'sacrificing' Lincolnshire

GB News

The councillor forecasted a grim future: "I predict the way he's going we'll be having not only all these turbines everywhere but we'll be having power cuts in the future."

He argued that the plans would increase, rather than decrease, reliance on foreign energy sources.

Hill criticised Miliband's recent decisions, stating: "He recently has waved through, with hardly a glance straight after the general election, thousands of acres of solar farms in some very attractive parts of Lincolnshire."

The council leader concluded by describing Miliband's approach as "crazy" and accused him of sacrificing rural areas "on the altar of his political fanaticism."

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