NDA celebrates 20-year partnership with Site Stakeholder Groups
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is celebrating its unique 20-year relationship with nuclear communities.
NDA Group CEO David Peattie speaking at the NDA Stakeholder Summit 2024
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is celebrating its unique 20-year relationship with nuclear communities with a series of special local events and a blueprint for refreshing the relationship, fit for the future.
Site Stakeholder Groups (SSGs) were created at NDA sites in response to the Energy Act 2004, giving communities a platform to scrutinise the organisation’s work and ensure two-way dialogue between local residents and the nuclear industry.
The NDA is responsible for decommissioning the UK’s earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and sustainably, leaving a positive legacy for future generations. So, engaging with the communities around its sites about how it carries out this nationally important mission is crucial to its licence to operate.
Led by elected community volunteers independent of the NDA, the SSGs have played a vital role in shaping NDA strategy and have provided a valuable sounding board on a wide range of issues.
NDA Group Chief Executive, David Peattie, paid tribute to the work of the SSGs and the spirit of community volunteerism over the past 20 years, saying:
Our nuclear communities are the foundation on which much of our work in cleaning up the UK’s nuclear legacy is built. The commitment in time and effort of our SSG chairs and vice-chairs has been considerable in representing the viewpoints of their communities.
We’re marking our 20th anniversary of this unique relationship and I would like to use this opportunity to pay tribute to the work of our community representatives and look forward to continuing dialogue and increasing understanding of our mission.
To mark the 20th anniversary, the NDA is inviting members from all 14 SSGs around the UK to meetings showcasing the progress made over the last two decades and looking ahead to the future of its nuclear sites.
There is also work ongoing in partnership with the communities to review and update best practice guidelines for how the groups operate and engage with the NDA, in line with modern communication requirements.
John McNamara, NDA Director of Communities and Stakeholder Engagement, has been involved with SSGs since their inception. He said:
Our Site Stakeholder Groups are revered internationally as best practice when it comes to independent scrutiny by communities of the nuclear industry. They have often been cited by organisations such as the IAEA, the US Energy Department and industry colleagues in many countries including Canada, France, and Japan as a blueprint for how communities should interact and hold the nuclear industry to account.
I’ve worked with these volunteers for many years, and I’m constantly reminded of the terrific job they do. Their commitment benefits the NDA every bit as much as it does the local residents they serve.
Cllr Aled Morris Jones, Chair of the National SSG Forum which represents the views of NDA nuclear communities, said:
The SSGs are a crucial supporting pillar of effective local stakeholder engagement which gives the NDA its social licence to operate.
Our role as an informed ‘critical friend’ ensures the NDA understands the key issues and perspectives within our communities and that our voices are heard as we scrutinise and comment on their work plans and how they go about their business.
We’ve demonstrated our value during the past 20 years, and we remain committed to continuing to serve our communities as decommissioning continues over the coming decades.
The NDA’s 20th Anniversary roadshow will visit all NDA sites, from Dungeness on the Kent coast and up to Dounreay on the north coast of Scotland – and all points in-between.
The review of the SSGs was carried out with wide-ranging input from communities and other stakeholders including the nuclear regulators and local authorities. Recommendations set to be implemented include:
- Updated NDA guidance for SSGs to provide more support for community volunteers
- More regular meetings between SSG chairs and the NDA to provide more industry context and consider best practice suggestions
- Standardisation of documents and websites
- Assistance to allow SSGs to communicate more widely in their communities
- Using technology to facilitate more virtual online and hybrid meetings, using evenings too to make it easier for more people to attend
- Formulating an outreach plan to attract more diversity to SSG meetings
If you would like to read the updated Guidance or are interested in attending an SSG meeting, please visit the SSG website: Site Stakeholder Groups - Home.