Council leader calls for Corby MP to press government for public inquiry into 'toxic town' contamination - but MP calls for council clear up

Cllr Griffiths pledged his administration’s full support for an independent statutory investigation into Corby’s historic contamination.

The intervention follows the publication of new environmental research by Earthwatch and a letter from Mr Barron calling for urgent action by North Northamptonshire Council.

The Reform UK administration has reaffirmed its commitment to taking concerns about contaminated land, waste and potential risks to public health seriously.

Cllr Griffiths said: "We take the concerns about historic contamination in Corby and the potential consequences for public health extremely seriously. We always have and we always will.

"But frankly, we are fed up with North Northamptonshire Council being blamed for the historic failings of Corby Borough Council. The negligence identified by the High Court in 2009 occurred under a Labour-controlled administration, long before North Northamptonshire Council existed.

"We inherited responsibility for dealing with the consequences, not the decisions that caused them.

"We also recognise that Lee Barron has previously supported calls for a public inquiry. Well, his party is now in Government and he is in a position to take those calls directly to ministers.

"So perhaps it is time for Mr Barron, MP to ask his own Government to establish and fully fund an independent statutory public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005.

"Such an inquiry would have powers to compel evidence and witnesses that a locally commissioned review would not automatically possess. And it should be funded by central Government, not by North Northamptonshire taxpayers."

In 2009, the High Court found serious negligence in the handling of contaminated materials during the reclamation of the former Corby steelworks. The clean-up took place decades before North Northamptonshire Council was established in 2021.

A new report from environmental charity Earthwatch Europe, produced in partnership with the Corby community, identified the presence of metals at levels that could pose a risk to the environment and human health.

The project was initiated in August 2025 when the charity agreed to investigate long standing concerns over residual contamination from the former British Steel works. These concerns date back to the site’s decommissioning and a landmark 2009 court case, which found that airborne industrial contaminants – including cadmium, chromium and nickel – had caused birth defects during the decommissioning process.

In a letter to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, Lee Barron asked for her support to ensure North Northants Council take ‘immediate action’.

Mr Barron said: “I understand the concerns of residents and believe this report is an important step in their campaign. This report contains scientific data which gives decision makers an invaluable insight into what work needs to be done.

“Local authorities have a duty to inspect and identify sites where contamination is causing unacceptable risks, and I have called on North Northamptonshire Council to immediately publish a plan to make these sites safe. I would welcome your support to ensure the authority takes immediate action.”

In a letter to Cllr Griffiths, Mr Barron called for the new findings to be investigated as ‘a matter of urgency,’ adding that he had shared his concerns with the Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, restating his call for North Northamptonshire Council to take ‘immediate action to clean up any contaminated land’.

He said: “Local authorities have a duty to inspect and identify sites where contamination is causing unacceptable risk. This is why I am asking North Northamptonshire Council to immediately publish a plan to investigate and make these sites safe.”

Cllr Griffiths has fallen short of demanding a public Inquiry, restating the administration’s position that the council’s ‘existing assessment that the evidence does not currently warrant a public inquiry’ but that it would be willing ‘to cooperate with one should the Government decide to establish it’.

A Government-established statutory inquiry could examine the historic management and movement of contaminated materials, the circumstances surrounding the failures identified in the 2009 litigation, and outstanding questions about their potential environmental and public-health consequences.

Such an inquiry would be separate from the council’s continuing statutory responsibilities to assess credible evidence of contamination and take appropriate action where required.

Council officers are already reviewing the latest Earthwatch findings and will consider whether further investigation is necessary, working alongside the Environment Agency and other relevant bodies.

Cllr Griffths added: “We have nothing to hide. We would welcome a genuinely independent examination of the historic events and the questions that remain unanswered, and we would cooperate fully with any inquiry established by the Government.

“Above all, residents deserve answers. Particularly those families directly affected by the events of the past and those who have spent years seeking answers about what happened to their loved ones.

"We recognise the distress and uncertainty they’ve endured, and they deserve to have their concerns heard and examined independently. If Lee Barron and his Government believe a public inquiry is necessary, we are ready to support his efforts to secure one.”