NuLeAF Service Plan 2015/16

LEAD OFFICER: Pat Graham REPORT AUTHOR: Cath Little

Summary and Recommendation:

This paper provides Members with a summary overview of the role of the Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum (NuLeAF) and informs Members of the key components of the NuLeAF Work Plan for 2015/16

Members are asked to note the current work plan for 2015/16

1. Background

NuLeAF is a Special Interest Group on Radioactive Waste Management and Nuclear Decommissioning established in 2003 under the auspices of the Local Government Association. LGA are a politically-led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. The Borough Council was one of the original members of the organisation when it was recognized that there was a need to develop an organization that could speak for Local Government at a national level on nuclear legacy management. The forum ‘seeks to ensure effective communication and information sharing amongst local authorities’. It consults its members on issues of national nuclear waste and legacy management that are brought forward from such bodies as the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

A Steering Group meets 4 times a year. Additional sub-group meetings and topic specific meetings are also arranged along with an annual seminar.

NuLeAF has an elected Chairman and Vice-Chair – the current Chair is Councillor Richard Smith MVO of Suffolk County Council. Councillor Brendan Sweeney of Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council is Vice-Chair. Both were re-elected for a further term at the AGM held on 15th October 2015.

There are two types of membership:-

Contributing members, as the name suggests, contribute financially to NuLeAF. The Council’s current membership fees is £665 per year. Contributing members form the Steering Group and are eligible to vote on issues, manage NuLeAF business and represent the Forum on outside bodies. Corresponding members do not contribute financially. These member authorities are kept informed of NuLeAF’s work, are consulted by the Steering Group on radioactive waste management issues and are invited to participate in NuLeAF seminars. Corresponding member opinion is reflected in submissions and positions adopted by the Forum. They are welcome to attend the Steering Group meetings, but do not have voting rights.

For current Membership please see appendix 1

2. Service Plan for 2015/16

The Service Plan is NuLeAF’s work programme. It sets out the work NuLeAF will undertake and how success in programme delivery will be measured. The work is intended to help achieve an overall Outcome primarily:

‘That policy, strategy and practice for all nuclear waste and legacy issues has the interests of local authorities as a central concern, leading to the best possible outcomes for the communities they serve.’

To help meet this Outcome, NuLeAF will work in a number of specific areas, namely to:  Participate in work intended to deliver a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) for higher activity radioactive wastes;  Engage with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and with Site Licence Companies to help shape policy and strategy for delivery of the national decommissioning mission, and feedback developments in waste policy to our members;  Work with and advise the regulators and NDA on institutional controls and the potential for the transfer of NDA sites to local authority control;  Contribute to the development of Strategy III and the planned Higher Activity Waste (HAW) Strategy and to ongoing work on Low Level Waste (LLW) policy and implementation. We will represent the concerns of local authorities, help to ensure a clear and coherent approach that meets local needs, and assist local authorities and operators to comply with developments in the national framework for radioactive waste management and the planning process;  Work with Government, the NDA and others to develop a clear and consistent approach to community benefits for those areas affected by waste and legacy management issues;  Consider the legacy impacts of waste arising from any new nuclear programme and the requirements for safety and resilience;  Advise the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on the Submarine Decommissioning Programme; and

 Respond to consultations and engage in other work to support our overall outcome. The tasks for each work stream undertaken in 2015/16 are set out in detail in the Service Plan along with the indicators used to measure performance in terms of outputs and outcomes. All work supports local authority capacity and the NDA and Radioactive Waste Management Ltd (RWM) mission, but some elements have a specific focus.

In addition to income from Member contributions NuLeaf also receives funding from the NDA and RWM.

For NDA funded activity NuLeAF will  Continue to clarify the practical options available to NDA for integrated waste management and site decommissioning and remediation, and how criteria for options assessment will be identified and applied locally.  Work with and advise the regulators and NDA on institutional controls and the issues around the potential for the transfer of NDA sites to local authority control.  Contribute to the development of Strategy III and the planned Higher Activity Waste (HAW) Strategy and to ongoing work on Low Level Waste (LLW) policy and implementation.  Where justified by scale, national significance, and long term impacts, continuing to make the case for community investment additional to S106 ‘planning gain’.  Monitor revisions of local policies for radioactive waste management and encouraging consistency between policies for radioactive waste management within local development waste plans; and advise local authorities on developments in the national framework for radioactive waste and their implications.

For Radioactive Waste Management Ltd (RWM) funded activity NuLeAF will  Work closely with Dept. of Energy & Climate Change and RWM in taking forward Geological Disposal Facility siting process work on communities, geology and land use planning.  Help build awareness of the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) siting process proposals among our members and wider local government audience, particularly in terms of the economic development opportunities.  Help disseminate information to a wide local authority audience, including non- NuLeAF members, and facilitate feedback on the Geological Disposal Facility siting process and allied issues.  Be an active participant in consultations, meetings and other events intended to shape the final Geological Disposal Facility siting process.  Continuing to advise and assist any local authority wishing to learn more about the Geological Disposal Facility siting process. For member funded activity NuLeAF will  Continue to build the understanding of nuclear decommissioning among member local authorities through our programme of events and our communications, enabling individual authorities to better engage on these issues.  Encourage best practice in radioactive waste planning policy.  Continue to press the case for the maximum socio-economic benefits, and appropriate community investment, for communities affected by nuclear decommissioning and waste management.  Work with New Nuclear Local Authorities Group to explore the legacy waste implications of nuclear new build.  Continue to participate in the Submarine Dismantling Programme Advisory Group through to the completion of its work in 2016.  Explore the potential for closer engagement with Public Body Organisations (PBOs), EDF, the Nuclear Industry Association and the wider private sector. The full list of actions is set out in the Service Plan. A report card will be produced at the end of 2015/16 setting out performance against Objectives. Appendix 1 NuLeAF member authorities Allerdale Borough Council - contributing Arun District Council - corresponding Ashford District Council - corresponding Barrow Borough Council - contributing Birmingham City Council - corresponding Blackpool Borough Council - corresponding Braintree Borough Council - corresponding Breckland District Council - corresponding Broadland District Council - corresponding Bromsgrove District Council - corresponding Caerphilly County Borough Council - corresponding Carlisle City Council – corresponding Cornwall Council - corresponding Chelmsford Borough Council - corresponding Chesterfield Borough Council – corresponding Cheshire West and Council – corresponding Colchester Borough Council - corresponding Copeland Borough Council – contributing Cumbria County Council - contributing Dacorum District Council - corresponding Denbighshire County Council – corresponding Derby City Council – corresponding Derbyshire Dales District Council – corresponding Devon County Council - corresponding County Council – contributing Dorset Fire and Rescue – corresponding Durham County Council - corresponding Eden District Council - corresponding Essex County Council- corresponding Flintshire County Council – NFLA Co-optee Forest of Dean District Council - corresponding Council - corresponding Fylde Borough Council - corresponding Gosport Borough Council - corresponding Great Yarmouth Borough Council - corresponding Greater London Authority - corresponding Gwynedd County Council - corresponding Halton Borough Council – corresponding Hampshire County Council - contributing Harlow District Council - corresponding Hartlepool Borough Council - contributing Hyndburn Borough Council - corresponding Kent County Council - corresponding Kings Lynn & West Norfolk District Council - corresponding Lancashire County Council - corresponding Lancaster City Council - corresponding Leeds City Council – corresponding Leicestershire County Council - corresponding Lewes District Council - corresponding Liverpool City Council - corresponding London Borough of Hackney - corresponding London Borough of Harrow – corresponding London Borough of Hillingdon - corresponding London Borough of Newham - corresponding London Borough of Tower Hamlets - corresponding Maldon District Council – corresponding Manchester City Council - contributing Melton Borough Council – corresponding Merseyside Environmental Advisory Service - corresponding Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council - corresponding Newport City Council – NFLA Co-optee Norfolk County Council – corresponding North London Waste Plan - corresponding Northamptonshire County Council - corresponding North East Derbyshire District Council - corresponding North Norfolk District Council - corresponding Norwich City Council - corresponding Nottinghamshire County Council – corresponding Northumberland County Council - corresponding Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council – corresponding Oxfordshire County Council - contributing Pembrokeshire County Council - corresponding Plymouth City Council - contributing Preston City Council – NFLA Co-optee Purbeck District Council - corresponding Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council – NFLA Co-optee Rutland County Council - corresponding Scarborough District Council - corresponding Sedgemoor District Council – contributing Shepway District Council - contributing Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council - corresponding Somerset County Council – contributing South Gloucester Council – contributing South Lakeland District Council – corresponding South Ribble Borough Council - corresponding Southampton City Council - corresponding South Norfolk District Council – corresponding Stroud District Council - corresponding Spelthorne Borough Council - corresponding Staffordshire County Council – corresponding District Council – contributing Suffolk County Council – contributing Surrey County Council - corresponding Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council - corresponding Borough Council - corresponding Tendring District Council - corresponding Tunbridge Wells District Council - corresponding Vale of the White Horse District Council - corresponding District Council - corresponding Council - corresponding West Berkshire District Council - corresponding West Lancashire District Council - corresponding West Lindsey District Council - corresponding District Council – contributing Worcestershire County Council - corresponding Ynys Mon County Council - contributing

National parks authorities Lake District National Park Authority - corresponding North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authority - corresponding Snowdonia National Park Authority - corresponding