Powys County Council welcomed the Court of Appeal ruling that said the council was not responsible for potential liabilities under legislation created after local government reorganisation. The judgment overturned a previous High Court ruling that the county council could be liable under legislation that was introduced after the council was established in April 1996.
The appeal, which could have national significance for other local authorities, ruled that Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 - the contaminated land regime introduced in 2001 - could not be applied retrospectively to authorities established before that time.