Month: July 2018

Japanese Cabinet Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has welcomed the UK’s recent announcement that it is looking to seek potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), saying Japan would “spare no efforts to support the UK” in a meeting with Dr Liam Fox, international trade secretary, this morning.

Dr Liam Fox met Motegi, who is responsible for CPTPP, as part of a visit to Japan, the UK’s closest partner in Asia.

The UK and Japan are like-minded advocates for global free trade, and building on our existing relationship with Japan is a key element of delivering the UK’s first independent trade policy for over 40 years as we leave the European Union.

This is Dr Fox’s first visit to Asia following his launch of a consultation on potentially joining CPTPP, and his welcoming this month’s signature of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Japan accounts for nearly half of the CPTPP’s GDP, and is the UK’s fifth largest trading partner with total trade worth £28 billion, up by nearly 15% in 2017.

Dr Fox is also beating the drum for British businesses based in Japan, meeting a range of business leaders and the British Chambers of Commerce Japan. Further, he is highlighting the value of Japanese investment in the UK, in light of the huge and job-creating investments made in the last year by the likes of Hitachi, Toyota and Mitsubishi Corp.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

As we set our own trade policy for the first time in over 40 years, the government is determined to break new ground by putting the UK at the heart of the world’s fastest growing regions, like Asia.

That’s why I’m visiting Japan, our fifth largest trading partner, and meeting Prime Minister Abe and colleagues, British businesses and Japanese investors to take our trading relationship to the next level and deliver a new framework for free and open UK-Japan trade. These talks are vital in putting the country at the heart of the Asia-Pacific, a region that will be the engine of global growth in the twenty-first century.

Dr Fox welcomed the recent EU-Japan EPA with Theresa May and Prime Minister Abe agreeing to work quickly to establish a new partnership between Japan and the UK based on the final terms of the agreement. Ensuring certainty to businesses in both countries is something they have made clear is a top priority.

The 11 members of CPTPP accounted for £82 billion of UK trade in 2016, more than the Netherlands, France or China. The economies of existing members are diverse, spanning a region which is a driving force of global economic growth.

Sellafield Ltd’s new Social Impact Strategy outlines five objectives which will help local leaders to secure inward investment and diversify the local economy, as reprocessing at the site nears completion.

Head of Corporate Affairs, Jamie Reed, said:

Sellafield Ltd’s primary purpose is to clean up the Sellafield site.

As this mission accelerates and reprocessing comes to an end, we are looking towards what the future of our business will be. Given the reliance of the local economy upon Sellafield, what we do will inevitably shape the future of the local economy in a significant way.

The long-standing economic challenges facing West Cumbria are understood by all of us who live and work here – and one of the biggest is over-reliance on the nuclear industry.

This isn’t purely Sellafield’s problem to fix – but we know that we have a role to play. The unprecedented changes we are now seeing at Sellafield present our business and the local community with new opportunities.

To help identify opportunities to strengthen the local economy Sellafield Ltd is launching a Development Advisory Board, which Jamie will chair. The board will bring together local leaders, trade unions and other businesses.

Jamie added:

By working together we can leverage the investment that government makes on the site – currently over £2bn a year – to create sustainable growth by both diversifying the economy and reducing West Cumbria’s reliance on Sellafield.

Achieving this is the biggest challenge facing the economy of West Cumbria, and that’s why I took this job on.

Nuclear will always play a big role, but as we continue to make progress on cleaning up the site, we can shape a future that offers new economic opportunities beyond the nuclear industry. Sustainability is the key — that’s why we have become engaged on projects like the Heathrow Hub, the Bus Station in Whitehaven, and why we’ve become leaders on the Northern Powerhouse agenda.

Sellafield Ltd’s strategy is underpinned by data provided by Oxford Economics, which illustrates the economic impact of Sellafield (see web-links in notes to editors).

Copeland Borough Council’s Mayor, Mike Starkie, has welcomed the new strategy. He said:

Our relationship with Sellafield is strong — they understand the challenges the area faces and have a crucial role to play in helping us to overcome them.

As the site gets safer and cleaner over the decades to come, we know that direct employment will reduce, but by acting now and working together we can make sure that we provide alternatives.

Copeland has many of the same problems of large rural boroughs — being able to work with Sellafield Ltd gives us a huge opportunity to overcome them.

Work from the strategy has already started — Sellafield Ltd announced earlier this year that it was investing £2.6m in an ambitious project to convert Whitehaven’s derelict bus station into a hub for start-up businesses. This follows a £10.6m investment from Sellafield Ltd and £14.5m investment from NDA unlocking a total investment of over £30m in the new Whitehaven Campus, opening later this year.

Mike added:

The bus station is especially significant as it will help to establish growth in non-nuclear businesses coming into the area.

We have find growth industries, like digital, so that we can move away from relying completely on nuclear.

Copeland MP Trudy Harrison said:

Copeland has hosted Sellafield for many years and the community has given a great deal of support to the nuclear industry over those years.

Despite high salaries our infrastructure needs desperate improvement and there are areas of deprivation which must be tackled.

My desire is to see the Sellafield Social Impact Strategy make a real positive difference to the lives of our residents which will leave a long lasting legacy that will cascade to future generations.

Workington MP Sue Hayman said:

Sellafield has been an important strategic asset for the UK since the 1950s, and West Cumbria continues to provide a national service in managing the majority of the UK’s nuclear legacy. As that work progresses, however, there will naturally be fewer direct employment opportunities. I’m pleased to be working with Sellafield Ltd on projects like the Heathrow Hub, to ensure that the region can enjoy a sustainable future beyond the nuclear industry.

Jo Lappin, Chief Executive of the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said:

We very much welcome the launch of the Social Impact Strategy, which focuses on addressing some of the major issues that we have identified in our work with partners on developing Cumbria’s Local Industrial Strategy (LIS). The LIS has two fundamental priorities, improving business productivity and achieving inclusive growth, and diversifying West Cumbria’s business base provides an important opportunity to help achieve both of these priorities.

Cumbria LEP will work in partnership with Sellafield Ltd and local businesses and organisations to make sure that our Local Industrial Strategy is fully informed by the Social Impact Strategy and that we work together to deliver the shared ambition of both these strategies to create growth and prosperity for our businesses and people.

Cumbria County Council’s Economic Development and Property Portfolio Holder, David Southward, said:

The challenges we face here are well understood within the local community – they mirror the challenges that lots of rural areas face. We welcome the strategy and look forward to working with Sellafield Ltd and collaborating with other organisations across the county.

Steve Nicholson, spokesperson for the Sellafield Workers’ Campaign said:

As representatives of the current Sellafield workforce we have a duty to look after the futures of our members, and also a responsibility to hold decision makers to account.

Although we need to broaden our horizons, there is much more to be done regarding nuclear in the UK and West Cumbria is pivotal to these aims. We campaign so that our members’ children and grandchildren can have a positive future, inside or outside of the Sellafield gates. Nobody is going to do it for us.

Notes for Editors:

Sellafield Ltd invests £10m each year directly into projects in the local area. This is specific funding, via the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which is ring-fenced for Social Impact.

Recent investments include:

• Whitehaven Campus – £10.6m
• North Shore Bus Station Project – £2.6m
• Allerdale Social Fund – £500k
• Copeland Social Fund – £500k
• Well Whitehaven – £350k
• Beacon – £325k
• West Cumbria Works – £205k

Sellafield Ltd’s Social Impact Strategy contains a vision, objectives and outcomes linked to the businesses’ Corporate Strategy, to provide tax-payers and communities close to the site with a socio-economic growth return on their investment at Sellafield.

The five objectives within the Social Impact Strategy are based on United Nations’ sustainability goals.

They are:

• Resilient Economies
• Thriving Communities
• Social Value Chains
• Sustainable Incomes
• Collective Impact

Oxford Economics report highlights:

• SL provides 58.7% of all jobs in Copeland (directly & indirectly)
• Average salary over £43,000 (UK average £34,451)
• 1 SL job sustains 3 in the rest of the economy
• Copeland benefits from 55.9% of SL wage bill (£264m)
• Allerdale benefits from 25.8% of SL wage bill (25.8%)
• The economic outlook for Cumbria is challenging

Sellafield Social Impact Strategy

Oxford Economic Report

This year has proven the most successful Hen Harrier breeding season for a decade in England, with 34 chicks fledged across Lancashire, Cumbria, Northumberland and Derbyshire.

There were 14 nesting attempts of which nine were successful in producing chicks. This year’s success can be put down to a variety of factors including: high numbers of voles, a key prey species, good weather and a great partnership effort.

Land managers have also been carrying out diversionary feeding offering supplementary food to the chicks since they have hatched. This technique ensures the best fledging rate and diverts the adult birds’ attention from taking the chicks of other vulnerable ground nesting birds.

Unfortunately three nests failed due to predation and two due to a polygamous male struggling to provide two nests at once. Half of the attempts, four of which were successful, were on National Nature Reserves. While all other attempts and successful nests were on land managed for grouse shooting; one of these nests was just off the moorland on a hill farm in-bye land.

Andrew Sells, Chairman of Natural England, said:

The increase in hen harrier chicks this year is truly remarkable. These figures are a tribute to all those working hard for the survival of this breath-taking bird and show that responsible management of grouse moors must be part of the solution.

Reviving the fortunes of the hen harrier has been a cause close to my heart and I very much hope that we are now on the right path. But it will take more than one good breeding season to bring about a thriving population so it’s important that there is no let-up in the efforts to conserve this magnificent bird.

Staff from Natural England, RSPB, Forestry Commission, the Moorland Association, United Utilities, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, the National Trust, Northumberland National Park and Northumberland Wildlife Trust, individual Estates and their keepers, farmers, and a large number of volunteer raptor enthusiasts have worked in partnership to help ensure the future of these birds.

This partnership has helped liaise with estates, find and monitor nests, fit satellite tags and ensure that resources are available where and when we need them.

Gareth Cunningham, Head of Species Policy, RSPB said:

We welcome this increase in the number of successful nests this year and are proud to have played a direct role in the protection of seven out of the nine nests, through our EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE project.

Whilst we acknowledge progress, this species’ population is still at critically low levels and still vulnerable to illegal killing once birds disperse. We know that our English upland landscapes can support many more breeding pairs, indeed this is an international conservation obligation.

Dr Adam Smith of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust said:

It is very important that the hen harrier has bred more widely across England this year than it has for many years. We believe this is in large part because the multi-partner Hen Harrier Action Plan is now gaining traction.

That plan’s practical approach is helping confidence build in the land management sector that birds of prey can be part of our cherished sporting moorland landscapes.

Amanda Anderson, Director of the Moorland Association said:

We are delighted to see this year a substantial improvement in the breeding success of hen harriers across upland England with grouse moors playing a key role in delivering enhanced fledging rates.

The Hen Harrier Action Plan has provided a blueprint that should deliver a sustainable and well-dispersed hen harrier population and unlock the predator-prey conflict to the benefit of both species.

A high proportion of this year’s chicks have also been fitted with satellite tags, a large number of which have been funded through the RSPB’s EU funded LIFE project and Natural England. We will continue to monitor the progress of these birds closely throughout the year.