Sellafield nuclear site plans cuts as chief says £2.8bn funding ‘not enough’
Sellafield has said nearly £3bn in new funding is “not enough” and bosses are now examining swingeing cuts, prompting fears over jobs and safety at the vast nuclear waste dump,The Cumbrian nuclear site, which is home to the world’s largest store of plutonium, was last week awarded £2,8bn for the next financial year, the bulk of the total of just over £4bn funds allotted to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a taxpayer-owned and funded quango,Sellafield’s chief executive, Euan Hutton, has told staff that the funding was “not enough” to carry out planned works, leaving bosses to make “difficult decisions” over spending, sources told the Guardian,A spokesperson for Sellafield said: “While this is significant funding, it will not be enough for all our planned activities.
Critical work will continue but some projects will need to be slowed down, paused, or stopped.This will impact parts of our supply chain.”Hutton told employees at the site – which employs more than 10,000 people – that all areas of the business will be affected and spending reviewed.It is understood that internal calculations had forecast that at least £3.1bn would be needed to meet Sellafield’s spending requirements next year, when accounting for rising costs.
The site was awarded £2.8bn for the current financial year.The public spending watchdog has said the ultimate cost of cleaning up Sellafield is expected to rise to £136bn, causing tensions with the Treasury as the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, attempts to tighten public spending and spur growth.In 2023, the Guardian’s Nuclear Leaks investigation revealed a string of safety concerns at the site – from issues with alarm systems to problems staffing safety roles at its toxic ponds – as well as cybersecurity failings, radioactive contamination and allegations of a toxic workplace culture.Hutton has not told staff which projects could be paused or stopped at the site, which covers two square miles and hundreds of buildings.
Staff carry out a range of work from painstakingly emptying the toxic ponds to building new facilities to house nuclear waste.Hutton said that safety and security would be prioritised and the site would adhere to legal and regulatory rules, sources said.However, staff at the hazardous toxic site in north-west England remain concerned that cuts to spending could affect safety and jobs.Dan Gow, a senior organiser at the GMB union, said: “GMB calls on Sellafield to be fully transparent about any cost-saving measures and to engage with us to ensure the workforce is protected.“No worker should ever have to fear that budget cuts will put their safety at risk.
“GMB is urging all workers to stand together, stay informed, and ensure their voices are heard.Now more than ever, being part of a strong, organised union is the best way to protect jobs, rights and safety.”The Office for Nuclear Regulation last week took Sellafield out of special measures for its physical security – but said concerns remained over its cybersecurity.Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionThe watchdog issued an improvement notice after two railway wagons on the site carrying nuclear waste crashed.The ONR said the incident could have had “serious consequences”, although no one was injured and there was no radiation risk.
Last year, Sellafield was ordered to pay almost £400,000 after it pleaded guilty to criminal charges over years of cybersecurity failings and made a formal apology to the court,In 2023-24, the NDA spent £2,7bn on Sellafield and the site received £800m in income, according to the National Audit Office,Europe’s most hazardous industrial site has previously been described by a former UK secretary of state as a “bottomless pit of hell, money and despair”,The Sellafield spokesperson said: “We’re working with our employees, trades unions, supply chain and stakeholders to understand and manage any impacts.
“While this is a challenge, it also gives us opportunities to reset and do things differently.”The NDA, which is funded through a government grant and income generated from nuclear sites, said: “We expect our government grant to increase next year to offset anticipated revenue reductions, reflecting continued investment in our mission.“Rising inflation however, means that our overall funding will be less than this year and not enough to cover all our planned activities for 2025-26.”
Thousands of children in England accused of witchcraft in past decade
Thousands of children in England have been accused of witchcraft over the past decade, according to new figures that come alongside a film released on Monday.Faith-based abuse is a worldwide phenomenon but experts found 14,000 social work assessments linked to witchcraft accusations since 2015. In the year running to March 2024 alone, there were 2,180 assessments linked to witchcraft.The statistics, compiled by the National FGM Centre, come as the film Kindoki Witch Boy is released, telling the story of Mardoche Yembi, 33, who was accused of witchcraft as a child growing up in north London and subjected to an exorcism. Its release date also marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Victoria Climbié, an eight-year-old girl who was tortured after accusations of witchcraft were levelled against her
MS patients suffer side-effects after NHS England switches to cheaper drug
Scores of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have suffered debilitating side-effects after being put on to a cheaper new drug as part of an NHS drive to save money.About 170 MS patients at Charing Cross hospital in London have had complications, including a relapse of their illness, after being switched from Tysabri to a different drug called Tyruko, made by the pharmaceutical company Sandoz.In a handful of cases, the people affected developed such serious symptoms that they had to be taken to hospital for treatment. Patients have told doctors about side-effects including an inability to use their legs, other mobility problems, fatigue, pain and sudden weight gain.It is unclear how widespread the adverse reactions to Tyruko are
‘It was awful for me’: one MS patient shares her experience with Tyruko
Jonelle Roback, 55, a retired tax accountant, is one of scores of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have suffered debilitating side-effects after being put on to a cheaper new drug while in NHS care.Here, she tells of her experience after being switched from the drug Tysabri on to its “biosimilar” Tyruko in May last year.“I’d been on Tysabri since 2009 and had never had any problems with it. It’s a wonder drug for me and for a lot of other people. I was 100% stable on it and you’d never have known that I was ill
Life’s not easy for those like Bridget Jones, but older widows are left in no man’s land | Letters
Stacey Heale’s article (The new Bridget Jones film shows the messy, funny, mistake-filled reality of widowhood, 15 February) was reassuring and hopeful for younger widows. The truthful reality for older widows is much starker. We who are in our 70s (40- or 50-odd years married) newly find ourselves in no man’s land. Literally.Between being young enough (in our 40s) to find another partner and old enough (in our late 80s and 90s) to not care, we find ourselves too old for men of our age who want younger partners, and too young for – and unwilling to nurse – older men, who, again, will probably want a much younger woman
‘A source of national shame’: shelters in England turn young people away as number of rough sleepers soar
Holly Udobang is packing the last bag: a sleeping mat, gloves, woolly hat, waterproof poncho, hand warmers. It’s the sort of kit that teenagers might need for a Duke of Edinburgh trip.But this bag is for young homeless people, to give them a fighting chance of getting some sleep on the streets of London. Holly and her colleagues at the New Horizon Youth Centre are packing them to give to the young people they now have to turn away every day, as an increasing number of emergency shelters shut their doors.“Things are going backwards,” says Phil Kerry, New Horizon’s chief executive
Labour’s revolution of local government will be seismic but won’t be straightforward | Richard Partington
Across England a quiet rebellion is brewing. In Rutland, locals have started a campaign to save the tiny county from abolition. Villagers in High Peak, rural Derbyshire, worry they could be bundled in with Andy Burnham’s Greater Manchester. Nottingham is expanding, Medway wants to become a city, and Surrey will have a mayor.Flick through your local newspaper (if one still exists), or fight past the online pop-ups and chances are there will be a story about Labour’s plans for the biggest shake-up of local government since the 1970s
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Consumers don’t have a debt problem. The US government does | Gene Marks