Disaster plans kept secret

Press, 14 August 1976, Page 20

Disaster plans kept secret

The Lyttelton Borough Council on Tuesday threw a cloak of secrecy over the civil defence procedures being planned for Lyttelton in case of a nuclear accident. Discussion of civil defence contingency plans were taken in committee in spite of insistence by Cr G. C. Adams that Lyttelton people were entitled to know what procedures would be set in motion should there be an accident on board a visiting nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessel. Cr Adams said it was quite likely that Lyttelton would be chosen as the host port for visiting American nuclear warships, and yet nothing was known of the arrangements being made by the civil defence organisation. However, Lyttelton’s Mayor (Mr J. B. Collett) said he had a great deal of information on Lyttelton’s civil defence arrangements,but all discussion so far had been taken in committee. Therefore Mr Collett said he did not think it appropriate to discuss the matter in open business. Mr Collett said he could not elaborate on why he thought the matter should remain under wraps until the council itself had gone into committee.