Planning needed for Cumbrian jobs

Sellafield will eventually be decommissioned

The leader of Cumbria county council says Sellafield could be facing its worst jobs crisis if, as expected, there is a big decline in nuclear employment at Sellafield in years to come.

Latest research by the Environment Council suggests the workforce at the west Cumbrian plant could be reduced from 12,000 to 4,000 in the years after 2011.

The study, on the economic and social impact of the site, sets out how west Cumbria will benefit from the complex.

The report - West Cumbria Socio-Economic Study - suggests that for the next decade, the current 12,000 on site jobs will largely be maintained and could increase.

But it warns that thereafter, on-site jobs could fall significantly.

Suppliers affected

Mr Toft said: "The scale of the problem is enormous.

"Unless something dramatically new appears on the scene we are going to have a big problem in west Cumbria.

"We have also got to think of the suppliers who depend on BNFL for more than half of their turnover.

"The only good thing, if you can call it that, is that we have a long time to start planning for the future.

"We need to act now to ensure a prosperous long-term future for west Cumbria as activity at Sellafield increasingly focuses on decommissioning."

The report is based on plant owner British Nuclear Fuels Limited's (BNFL) 2002 corporate plan and has been published by the Environment Council (EC).

The EC is charity which examines the environmental issues faced by major companies.

Challenges ahead

The report follows government moves away from nuclear power generation and more reliance on renewable energies, such as wind and wave power.

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the Northwest Development Agency, said: "We welcomes this report, which gives an indication of the challenges and opportunities ahead.

"This agency is already working with local authorities in Cumbria and the two regeneration companies to maximise the opportunities associated with the emerging nuclear clean-up industry.

"In due course the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) will arrive in west Cumbria.

"This provides a unique opportunity for the area and North West region as a whole, to be at the forefront of a new industry that has international potential and in doing so create new jobs and growth.

"The first step is to understand the implications of the NDA's plans for the Sellafield site - as its new owner - and hence we have committed to carry out a further in depth study into the economic and social impacts of the clean up programme."