2 months ago
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The UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities are disappointed that Nuclear Waste Services will not support parish council polls as another mechanism to determine public support for a nuclear waste dump in West Cumbria, despite revelations that current surveys are very limited and more costly.
The NFLAs and partners wrote recently to the parish and town councils in the Mid-and South Copeland Search Areas asking them to consider the lead shown by Whicham Parish Council in conducting a postal poll. Mid- and South-Copeland are two of the four areas now under consideration as potential locations for a Geological Disposal Facility, a facility into which the UK’s inventory of high-level legacy and future radioactive waste will be deposited before the dump is eventually sealed.
The postal poll carried out by Whicham Parish Council in the South Copeland GDF Search Area elicited a 62.78% response from its 400 parishioners, or 251 replies. The results, verified by the council’s auditors, were: In favour – 15.15%; Against – 76.62%; Don’t Know – 6.49%; and Blank forms – 1.73%.
NWS currently commission pollsters Yonder to carry out surveys in the Mid-and South-Copeland Search Areas. 369 surveys were conducted by Yonder between June and August 2023. The sample of 182 surveyed in Mid-Copeland represented 3.86% of the registered electorate whilst the 187 surveyed in South-Copeland represented 2.28%. Only ten of the surveys were described as in-depth interviews.
The poll cost Whicham Council £145.34, or 58 pence per reply. Under the Freedom of Information, the NFLA Secretary made a request to NWS to disclose the cost of commissioning Yonder for their summer surveys. The figure was an incredible £32,472, or £88 per survey.
Despite the minimal percentage of residents surveyed compared to the majority response to the Whicham postal poll, and despite the disproportionate difference in cost, Nuclear Waste Services made clear in a response to Drigg resident Sadie Clarke that they are wedded to small sample surveys dismissing postal ballots as they ‘tend not to be random as people may self-select as to whether they respond. The outcome could be an ‘engaged cohort’ with strong feelings, which might not be representative of the population as a whole’.
Commenting English NFLA Chair, Councillor David Blackburn said: “NWS may say that polls are self-selecting and limited to an ‘engaged cohort’, yet the same points may also equally apply to sample surveys. Those who are approached may choose not to participate. They are only likely to do so if they have a clear position.”
“We still believe that in addition to sample surveys, whole parish polls should be periodically conducted over the development lifetime of the GDF project as a means to test public opinion, and, at only 58 pence per reply, it has been proven this can be done at very little cost to the taxpayer”.
Most of the parish and town councils have responded to advise they will not be conducting a poll at this time.
Ends//… For further information please contact the NFLA Secretary, Richard Outram, by email at richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk
The FOI request sent to Nuclear Waste Services 20 December 2023
Subject: FOI Request – Cost of engaging Yonder to carry out and publish resident research
Dear NWS Colleagues,
I would like to make a Freedom of Information Act request.
Please could you advise the total cost of commissioning Yonder to carry out resident research in the summer of 2023 in Mid and South Copeland and also publish the latest findings?
I look forward to your reply. Thank you
Richard Outram, NFLA Secretary
The response to the FOI request received from Nuclear Waste Services 19 January 2024
Dear Richard Outram,
FOI Ref: 023286
Thank you for your information request received on 20 December 2023 for the following:
Please could you advise the total cost of commissioning Yonder to carry out resident research in the summer of 2023 in Mid and South Copeland and also publish the latest findings?
I have treated your request under the Freedom of Information Act. Nuclear Waste Services holds the information that you have requested and this is provided below.
The total cost for the research conducted in Mid and South Copeland in summer 2023 was £32,472 which covered interviews with 369 residents.
The government policy framework Implementing Geological Disposal – Working with Communities Policy sets out the community consent-based siting process for a geological disposal facility (GDF) and includes a requirement to monitor public opinion in relation to siting a GDF within the Search Area and the Potential Host Community. As we need to ensure that the monitoring is representative of the relatively small population of the Search Areas in Mid and South Copeland, we mostly carry out face-to-face interviews.
The results of the research are published on the Community Partnership websites:
Mid Copeland GDF Community Partnership: https://midcopeland.workinginpartnership.org.uk/mid-copeland-community-partnership-resident-research-2/.
South Copeland GDF Community Partnership: https://southcopeland.workinginpartnership.org.uk/south-copeland-gdf-community-partnership-newsletter-issue-5/
Kind regards,
Nuclear Waste Services
