The Fall and Rise of State Capabilities in the Management of the UK Nuclear Legacy

In 2015 and 2017, two large contracts for nuclear decommissioning were terminated early by the UK Government. Rather than re-tender, Government took direct ownership and control of Sellafield and began an inquiry into other sites’ management. The problems with the contract model for management of the UK’s nuclear legacy stem from an inability to adequately specify contracts in uncertain environments. The embrace of management and operations contracts for all sites after nationalised ownership limited the range of ‘tools’ to manage the nuclear legacy. This highlights the role of state capabilities alongside incentivised private sector relationships in contemporary governance

A Two-Stage Approach to Defining an Affected Community based on the Directly Affected Population and Sense of Community

Studies have demonstrated the inadequacy of relying on existing administrative boundaries or simple proximity to define an affected community. The proposal and siting of hazardous facilities can have a range of impacts upon people across wide areas, with some more affected than others as a result of living with the physical impacts of construction or the fear associated with perceived risk. We term those most affected the Directly Affected Population and propose a two-stage model for identifying an affected community which places those most affected at the centre of the definition. The second stage is to identify the relationships those most affected have with the wider elements of the Sense of Community to discover the existing community or communities which are affected. Illustrated by the siting of a low level radioactive waste disposal facility at Dounrey in the north of Scotland, we show that elements of the lived community experience may have very different shapes, extents and conflicting interests which pose challenges for their incorporation into a siting process. The two-stage model presented in this paper, by placing those most directly affected at the centre and working from there out into the existing communities, identifies issues early in any siting process to improve their incorporation and amelioration

The Scaling of Power in West Cumbria and the Role of the Nuclear Industry

This thesis explores the relationship between a global industrial actor and its regional host, and what that can tell us about neoliberalism and globalisation. The relationship between the nuclear industry, in particular the Sellafield site, and the West Cumbrian region where it is located is the specific focus for the data collection and analysis. West Cumbria is an isolated region in the very north-west corner of England. West Cumbria was the site of the UK’s first nuclear reactors. Over seven decades, as other industries have declined, West Cumbria has become home to, and economically dependent on, one of the largest and most complex nuclear sites in the world. The core concepts employed to analyse this relationship are power and scale. In particular, this thesis analyses how power is rescaled in the context of state restructuring and the wider changes associated with globalisation. To be able to analyse power it was necessary to develop an applied understanding of the concept. This is informed by a diverse literature, and takes an implicitly geographical and relational understanding of the exercise of power in its diverse forms, bases and uses. Firstly, policy documentation is analysed to understand the impact of the changes to the governance and management of the UK’s oldest and most hazardous nuclear sites. Secondly, survey and focus group data is analysed which focusses on the position of the nuclear industry in the local economy and specific changes made as a result of the part-privatisation of the industry in 2008. Finally, an analysis of economic development plans which aim to grow West Cumbria’s economy, and demonstrate an increasing priority being given to new nuclear developments. Finally, these three areas are brought together to explore how power is rescaled, its implications and the wider relevance of the thesis to other locations and policy areas

Interleukin-33 Signaling Controls the Development of Iron-Recycling Macrophages.

Splenic red pulp macrophages (RPMs) contribute to erythrocyte homeostasis and are required for iron recycling. Heme induces the expression of SPIC transcription factor in monocyte-derived macrophages and promotes their differentiation into RPM precursors, pre-RPMs. However, the requirements for differentiation into mature RPMs remain unknown. Here, we have demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-33 associated with erythrocytes and co-cooperated with heme to promote the generation of mature RPMs through activation of the MyD88 adaptor protein and ERK1/2 kinases downstream of the IL-33 receptor, IL1RL1. IL-33- and IL1RL1-deficient mice showed defective iron recycling and increased splenic iron deposition. Gene expression and chromatin accessibility studies revealed a role for GATA transcription factors downstream of IL-33 signaling during the development of pre-RPMs that retained full potential to differentiate into RPMs. Thus, IL-33 instructs the development of RPMs as a response to physiological erythrocyte damage with important implications to iron recycling and iron homeostasis

Nuclear community: Citizenship in West Cumbria and the impact of the Sellafield nuclear site

The geographically isolated locations of nuclear facilities, and the decline in traditional industries, means that nuclear sites tend to be central to their local economy, and highly embedded in local socio-political institutions and processes. Sellafield, a major node in the global nuclear fuel cycle for over 50 years and in 2008 privatised and acquired by international consortia, dominates the West Cumbrian economy. The rise of postmodern, or lifestyle politics, means for many citizenship is something which is expressed primarily through, and around, the mundane actions of their daily lives. Thus, given that citizenship is primarily expressed locally, a single dominant employer plays a significant role in its production. This paper, reporting the results of a mixed methodology of a postal survey and concurrent focus groups in West Cumbria, explores the effect that proximity to Sellafield has upon rights, duties, civil and political participation and identity. Initial findings suggest that, despite being globalising and globalised, Sellafield predominantly affects citizenship in a localising, but occasionally contradictory, way, such as underpinning a strong local identity and civil society, yet heightening awareness of global issues. Other elements of the complex relationship between the Sellafield site and West Cumbria will be presented

A two-stage approach to defining an affected community using Risk Perception Mapping and the psychological Sense of Community

Studies have demonstrated the inadequacy of relying on existing administrative boundaries or simple proximity to define an affected community. The proposal and siting of hazardous facilities can have a range of impacts upon people across wide areas, with some more affected than others as a result of living with the physical impacts of construction or the fear associated with perceived risk. We term those most affected the Directly Affected Population and propose a two-stage model for identifying an affected community which places those most affected at the centre of the definition. The second stage is to identify the relationships those most affected have with the wider elements of the Sense of Community to discover the existing community or communities which are affected. Illustrated by the siting of a low level radioactive waste disposal facility at Dounrey in the north of Scotland, we show that elements of the lived community experience may have very different shapes, extents and conflicting interests which pose challenges for their incorporation into a siting process. The two-stage model presented in this paper, by placing those most directly affected at the centre and working from there out into the existing communities, identifies issues early in any siting process to improve their incorporation and amelioration