News : Public thanked for taking part in discussions on a possible nuclear repository in West Cumbria
Residents of
The West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) Partnership has been running a major communications and engagement programme over the last few months to give residents and stakeholders within
The Partnership is looking at whether the area should take part in the Government’s search for a site for a repository, without any commitment to eventually having a facility in the area.
Councillor Tim Knowles, a West Cumbria MRWS Partnership member and the Cumbria County Council cabinet member responsible for the environment, said: “This has been an extensive communications and engagement programme. Our aims have been to raise awareness that this process is taking place, to provide as much clear information of the issues surrounding the search for somewhere to put a deep geological facility, and also to listen to what people have had to say – both positively and negatively – about some of the key issues.
“The Partnership would like to thank people in
Over the last few months the Partnership has sent two newsletter to households across West Cumbria, there has been a 3-page article in the county council magazine Your Cumbria which went to homes all over Cumbria and there have been large articles in all the county’s newspapers.
Ten community drop in events were held across the county where people had the chance to talk to members of the Partnership, as well as representatives from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Government – these were attended by nearly 500 people.
More than 50 discussion groups, a number of them in schools, were also organised using an information pack and DVD provided by the Partnership – almost 1,000 discussion packs were sent out on request. More than 850 people have registered to receive the Partnership’s e-bulletin updates and more than 100 people have phoned or written to the Partnership with comments.
The Partnership is now collating the results of this communication and engagement programme and will publish its results in the spring.
It will then produce its draft advice to the councils – Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council – as to whether the area should take part in the Government’s search for a suitable location for a repository.
Local people will then have another chance to say what they think should happen, probably during the autumn, before any decisions are taken.
People can still find information about the issues involved in these discussions on the Partnership’s website – www.westcumbriamrws.org.uk. There are also a number of ways that people can ask questions and send their views to the Partnership including emailing contact@westcumbriamrws.org.uk, calling freephone 0800 0488912, and by using Facebook or Twitter.
It is also possible to attend the Partnership’s meetings, which take place every six weeks.
The Government is looking for a community in the
The councils set up the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership, which includes organisations such as Cumbria Tourism, the
The Partnership’s role is to advise the councils on whether
Even if the councils decided to continue in the process they would still have a right to withdraw right up to the point when work could start on the underground facilities, which is probably more than a decade away.
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For media enquiries please contact the Partnership’s communications advisor Paul Gardner or Ian Boydon at Osprey Communications on 01524-782086 or 077667906561
- 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, the Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum), local trade unions, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Churches Together Council, Eden District Council, South Lakeland District Council, Carlisle City Council, the Lake District National Park Authority, the Cumbria Association of Local Councils, NuLeAF (the Nuclear Legacy in Cumbria, the Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Tourism 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.
- The Government is looking for a community in the
- Taking part in discussions with the Government does not commit the Cumbrian authorities to hosting a deep geological repository and they can withdraw from the process at any point up until a time when construction would begin – estimated to be more than 10 years from now.