Cumbria Trust

Click the image to view: Cumbria Trust Former Chairman Eddie Martin speaking on BBC TV following the County Council “NO” vote the 30th January 2013.

was formed from the various groups who worked hard in the campaign to stop the proposed plans to build a nuclear GDF (Geological Disposal Facility) in an area of the UK where the geology has been shown to be totally unsuitable.

Cumbria Trust is a civic organisation set up in 2013 and aiming to protect the safety and security of the people of Cumbria and to champion the county’s interests.

While the organisation has its roots in the campaign against the failed Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) process, it wishes to stress that it adopts an entirely neutral stance on the issue of nuclear power.

Cumbria Trust’s board members: Colin Wales (Sedbergh), Rod Donington-Smith (Keswick)

The membership includes many of those involved in the opposition groups and membership is also be open to the public.

Background

In January 2013, despite enormous pressures being exerted by Central Government to say yes, Cumbria County Council very bravely voted no to proceeding any further with the MRWS process for a plethora of reasons. However, to no-one’s great surprise Copeland voted yes. So did Allerdale. See Appendix 1 for more Background

Role and position of Cumbria Trust

Cumbria Trust will be additional to, and certainly not instead of, existing and future, local groups.

Cumbria Trust’s aims are set out in Appendix 2 but in short are to:-

1. Campaign against any geological disposal facility (GDF) anywhere in Cumbria on geological, environmental and safety grounds.

2. Campaign against DECCʼs proposed exclusion of Cumbria County Council from the process and exclusion of Parish and Town Councils.

3. Respond to the current DECC consultation and encourage others to do the same.

4. Campaign for safer, longer term storage of nuclear waste currently at Sellafield and other UK nuclear licensed sites.

5. As part of the ongoing Sellafield decommissioning (circa £1.6billion per annum being spent); campaign for greater spend and investment in West Cumbria as part of this process and also for greater diversification of the local economy.

6. Campaign to preserve the integrity of the Lake District National Park, Solway AONBs and other environmentally sensitive sites and also the “Lake District” brand.

7. If needs be, to challenge legally the policy outcomes and decisions of DECC and local authorities.

Cumbria Trust as an organisation is not against geological disposal per se but believes that, if the UK goes down this route, any repository has to be in the safest geology not the most politically and socio-economically convenient.

Cumbria Trust also believes that the hubris of those who argue for an engineered solution, as opposed to a geological one, is contemptible. We say this bearing in mind that all other repositories in civilised countries rely on geological barriers and not engineered solutions.

See: Geology

See: The New Government Proposals

See: Nuclear New Build – New Waste to Cumbria

Other Organisations

Cumbria Trust is already in dialogue with many of the organisations whose views are highly relevant and pertinent including NGOs, trade bodies as well as Parish and Town Councils.

Cumbria Trust acknowledges that many organisations indicated they were against going further with MRWS but believes that many did not make their views known as publically and as quickly as they might have done. It aims to ensure that this can never happen again.

“Cumbria Trust” is a trading name of The Cumbria Trust Limited which is a company limited by guarantee (registered number 8727682), the registered office of which is at 2, Merchant’s Drive, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 0JW.