By Alan Irving

Last updated at 09:04, Friday, 27 July 2012

IT’S now up to three Cumbrian local authorities whether to try and find somewhere in the area to bury highly radioactive nuclear waste.

plans for the future: Members of the West Cumbria Managing Radio-active Waste Safely Partner-ship pictured after a meeting at Hunday Manor

But top level Cumbria, Copeland and Allerdale councillors have promised that the crucial decision will be made in public at Executive and Cabinet meetings.

Tim Knowles (county council Cabinet member) and Elaine Woodburn and Alan Smith (leaders of Copeland and Allerdale boroughs respectively) are adamant the final decision will not be a fait accompli in favour of going forward to search for a suitable geological site deep underground in West Cumbria.

One of the county’s biggest decisions is expected to be made in October following West Cumbria’s Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership approval of a 221-page document covering all the issues in three years’ work.

And while the Partnership won’t make any recommendations to the council decision-makers, it calls on government to give cast-iron legal guarantees over community benefits and the right for any potential host community to pull out before construction starts.

Lack of trust is said to be at the root of key concerns.

Copeland leader Elaine Woodburn said: “There is always an issue about trust but if I was sat there in a potential siting area I’d want to make sure the local authorities and government delivered, so it has to be put on a legal footing that binds the government (whatever colour and whatever timescale) to come through.

“There’s still a hell of a lot of questions to be answered before we say yes or no. Community benefits are important but clearly getting the geology, safety and security are the most important parts.

“I live in Copeland, I want to make the right decision for me and my family and the people I represent.

“And we need a commitment from Government that they will put it on a legal footing that we will get the benefits that should come with hosting a national facility if it were to go forward.”

She agreed with Lamplugh resident Robin Megan that there were major concerns not only on the community benefits issue but also the amount of spoil which would need to be excavated and which Mr Megan said would be of Channel Tunnel proportions.

Asked by The Whitehaven News if there was a danger of a fait accompli, Coun Knowles, county council Cabinet environment member, said: “Absolutely not. We’ve got 84 members in the county council and there are a significant number of councillors involved with the district councils.

“They will express their views and it would be a foolish Executive of any authority that ignores them. Of course, the public, I’m sure, will express its own views – both now and when the local authorities make their decision.”

Coun Knowles would have preferred all county councillors to vote on the decision but said: “The good thing is they will be involved in a very full and open discussion about the issue prior to Cabinet making the decision, but we are where we are on local government legislation and we have taken legal advice and we have to do what the law requires.

“Every aspect of those discussions is always capable of being challenged, right up to and including things like judicial review. It is hugely important and we need to make sure what we do is right for Cumbria.”

During the meeting, Ruth Balogh, representing the ‘Save Our Lake District’ campaign, referred to major reservations expressed both by the Cumbria Association of Local Councils and Churches Together in Cumbria.

Dr Balogh called for the Partnership to be more open and transparent “about its own nature and to get a better understanding about who was on the Partnership and where people are coming from in taking decisions”.

Allerdale Council leader Alan Smith said: “I’ve still got an open mind and I am quite happy with the discussions we’ve had over the last three years.

“There’s no back doors, no smoke and mirrors. We’ve tried to do everything in a positive, open forum.”

Coun Smith also called for legislation in order to honour commitments. “If it’s in legislation it can’t be lost in years ahead. We need these reassurances.”

Marianne Birkby, for Radiation Free Lakeland, said: “I think it’s horrendous, we shouldn’t be here in the first place.

“To me this is being presented as a fait accompli but won’t be if enough people say no – they’ve been very cunning, a bit like sitting a frog in a pan of water: if the frog could see the danger then it would be away immediately but because they haven’t actually said it’s going to be here then communities haven’t been galvanised to oppose.”

First published at 11:08, Thursday, 26 July 2012
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk