News : West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership restarts its work
The West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) Partnership has announced that it is restarting its work to look at whether the area should take part in the search for somewhere to locate an underground repository for higher activity radioactive wastes.
The Partnership stopped the work it was doing last month because the Government had not confirmed its funding for the current financial year. However, the Partnership’s funding arrangements have now been agreed, which means it will be able to carry out all the work it had been planning.
Councillor Tim Knowles, the Chairman of the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership and the Cumbria County Council Cabinet member responsible for environment, says: “We’re pleased that the Partnership’s funding arrangements have now been agreed. The decisions this community needs to make about whether to take part in the Government’s search for somewhere to locate a repository are difficult and complex.
“We therefore need enough funding to enable us to properly consider all the issues and ensure that people in the area understand what is being discussed and have opportunities to ask questions and express their views.
“Next month we will be starting a significant programme of work to communicate with and involve local people. This will include newsletters sent to all homes across Copeland and Allerdale, community events across Cumbria and a discussion pack and DVD that people can use to discuss the issues with friends and colleagues.
“We hope that as many as people as possible will get involved in helping to make the decisions about this important issue.”
The Government is looking for a community in the UK to volunteer to have a deep underground disposal facility for higher activity radioactive wastes. Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council decided to take part in early discussions about this process on behalf of West Cumbria because a large amount of the country’s radioactive waste is already stored in the area at Sellafield.
The Councils set up the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership which includes organisations such as Churches Together in Cumbria, the Lake District National Park Authority, the National Farmers’ Union and the Cumbria Association of Local Councils.
The Partnership’s role is to advise the Councils on whether West Cumbria should take part in the Government’s search for somewhere to locate a repository. Even if that happens, the Councils would still have a right to withdraw from the process up until the point when work could start on the underground facilities, probably more than a decade from now.
The Government provides an Engagement Package to communities that get involved in this process to cover all the work they need to do to look into the issues involved including things such as public information; liaison, consultation and engagement; salaries and associated costs of Partnership staff; organisational costs of running the Partnership and working groups; and commissioning specialist advice.
The Government will publish the results of a basic geological study of West Cumbria at the next Partnership meeting at the Greenhill Hotel in Wigton on Thursday 28th October. The study by the British Geological Survey will show how much of Copeland and Allerdale, and up to 5 kilometres offshore, would definitely be unsuitable for a geological disposal facility.
This study is based on fairly limited geological criteria, for example, it will exclude areas which contain natural resources such as coal, oil and gas. It will not mean that all the rest of West Cumbria would be suitable for a repository. However, more detailed investigations of geological and other criteria would only take place if West Cumbria decides to take part in further stages of this process.
More information about the Partnership and the issues involved is available at www.westcumbriamrws.org.uk. It is also possible to contact the Partnership by calling a free helpline on 0800 048 8912 or by emailing contact@westcumbriamrws.org.uk
For media enquiries please contact the Partnership’s Communications Adviser Paul Gardner at Osprey Communications on 01524-782086 or 07766-906561
Notes to editors
In addition to Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council there are a range of other organisations making up the partnership, including Barrow Borough Council, Eden District Council, South Lakeland District Council, the Lake District National Park Authority, the Cumbria Association of Local Councils, NuLeAF (the Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum), local trade unions, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Churches Together in Cumbria, the Chamber of Commerce and the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group.
A number of other organisations attend as ‘observing members’ including Government departments, the Isle of Man Government, CoRWM (Committee on Radioactive Waste Management), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the safety and environment regulators.