05 October 2006

Today sees the publication of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Socio-economic Policy for consultation with communities around our sites.

The NDA, established on 1st April 2005, has a responsibility to consider the socio-economic impacts of the decommissioning programme on local communities where it has sites, and this Policy sets out how it intends to work with partners to help mitigate those impacts and create sustainable futures.

Dr Ian Roxburgh, NDA Chief Executive said:

"Mitigating the impact of decommissioning on the communities around our sites is a challenge we readily accept. It is not for the NDA however, to drive the regeneration agenda but it has a role to work together with those agencies and other organisations who lead in this field."

The Socio-economic Policy will provide the route for relevant organisations near all our sites to bid for funding across four main themes. These are;

• Employment
• Education and Skills
• Economic and social infrastructure
• Economic diversification

The NDA intends to focus assistance where it is most needed and four priority areas have been identified:

• West Cumbria
• Caithness and Sutherland
• Anglesey and North Wales
• Dumfries and Galloway

The NDA intends to channel support through relevant bodies and to focus on projects which will bring long lasting benefits to communities. "We expect local bodies to collaborate in the development of proposals for submission to NDA, and we will work in partnership to facilitate delivery of appropriate projects," said Richard Mrowicki, NDA’s Head of Stakeholder Relations.

Funding for these arrangements will be derived from efficiency savings by the NDA’s site contractors as they work towards safer and more cost-effective decommissioning and clean-up.

To ensure proper governance arrangements, the NDA has established a Socio-economic sub-committee of the Board which will have an independent Chair.

Communities and organisations around the 20 sites being decommissioned will now have the opportunity to comment on this policy. The consultation period starting today will end on 19th January 2007. The NDA will expect to publish the approved Socio-economic Policy in April 2007.

Socio-economic projects already supported include:

• Nuclear Skills Academy, West Cumbria – a new development to support skills based training for the nuclear decommissioning industry, including opportunities for school leavers and supply chain employers
• Determined to Succeed, Dumfries and Galloway - aimed at primary and secondary students in Dumfries & Galloway, encouraging them to learn about and be prepared for a life of work
• Funding for an economic review to assist planning work on Anglesey
• Masterplan for West Cumbria – NDA has jointly funded a study to identify transformational projects to support the long term development of the West Cumbrian economy.
• Caithness Horizons - to modernise the town hall and library at Thurso for community use including a high quality museum telling the story of the area
• Gretna Landmark - to raise the profile of the area through the creation of a spectacular landmark
• North Highland Regeneration Fund, Caithness – to provide pump-priming money to new ventures and existing organisations aimed at bringing to realisation entrepreneurial ideas which will lead to job creation beyond the nuclear industry in the area around Dounreay
• Support for Cottage Hospitals, West Cumbria – a three year funding package to support the existing local services whilst a new Acute/Cottage Hospital plan for West Cumbria is developed