Sizewell C boss 'optimistic' it will get go-ahead
The head of a multi-billion pounds project to build a new nuclear power station says she is "very optimistic" a final go-ahead will be given to the scheme this week.
Julia Pyke, the joint managing director of Sizewell C in Suffolk, told BBC Politics East she is hoping for an announcement when the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves unveils her Spending Review on Wednesday.
She said construction of the new power station was expected to create 10,000 jobs and fund a new post-16 college in the nearby town of Leiston, along with other infrastructure projects in the area.
But there was fierce opposition on Saturday at a demonstration calling on the government to reject the scheme.
Ms Pyke, who has been working on the project for 10 years, told Politics East that she would "really like to see the go-ahead for Sizewell C".
"Obviously we are very optimistic, because it's a great thing for this country and a great thing for this region."
She added that the nuclear plant was needed by the nation because "we want energy security. We want to wean ourselves off gas".
The project is expected to be jointly owned by the British government and the French state-owned energy giant EDF, and would be funded by taxpayers and private investors.
She said the taxpayer contribution would be funded by adding around £1 a month to energy bills, but she argued that once operational, the new power station would save consumers between £1bn and £1.5bn a year.
"It will have been cheaper to have built it than not to have built it," she said.
But there is opposition to the scheme.
On Saturday, about 300 protesters braved the bad weather to demonstrate on the beach near Sizewell B.
Organisers said the rally was "to grieve for our beloved Suffolk and urge ministers to think again about splashing the cash on this slow, expensive folly".
Alison Downes, director of Stop Sizewell C, said pre-construction work had already changed the area dramatically.
"Anybody visiting Suffolk for the first time in a year or so is going to be enormously shocked," she said.
"Local people say to me all the time just how devastated they feel at seeing old oak trees, seeing long swathes of hedgerows and vegetation, being chopped down.
"The local economy has been seriously impacted. Tourists are staying away."
She also questioned how many of the jobs being created at the site would go to locals.
Julia Pyke told Politics East she would never deny that it was inconvenient to have a big construction project on your doorstep - but said Sizewell C would do everything it could to minimise disruption.
She said the project hoped to mitigate against increased traffic by having 60% of materials brought to the site by rail or sea.
Asked about claims that early construction work was already putting off tourists from visiting the area, she said: "The power station site is in Leiston, it's not in Aldeburgh and it's not in Southwold.
"It's quite a contained area. Our experience of having built Hinkley Point C (nuclear power station in Somerset) is that actually tourism increases."
She said Sizewell C was contributing to a tourism fund and there was a legal commitment to a third of the workforce coming from the local area.
Sizewell was highlighted by the government as being suitable for a future nuclear power station in 2010.
There have been two power stations at Sizewell already - Sizewell A, which opened in the 1960s and shut in 2006, and Sizewell B, which opened in the 1990s and is still in operation.
The Labour government and previous Conservative administrations have committed £6.4bn to Sizewell to help with start up costs.
Labour, like the Conservatives, believes more nuclear power will help Britain become energy self-sufficient.
There are still questions over where the private finance for Sizewell C will come from, but ministers and EDF insist there are plenty of potential investors and they are close to finalising an agreement.
BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 8 June at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Latest legal challenge against Sizewell C launched
Sizewell C announces plan to build post-16 college
'Nothing prepared us for Sizewell C devastation'
What are the arguments for and against Sizewell C?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stormont strategy to tackle poverty 'not fit for purpose,' says charity
The first draft strategy agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive to tackle poverty is "not fit for purpose", according to a children's charity. An anti-poverty strategy was first proposed in 2006, with the aim of reducing social exclusion and deprivation. In March, Stormont's Executive Committee was found by a court ruling to be in breach of its legal obligation to adopt the strategy. BBC News NI has now seen a leaked copy of the document, which was agreed by executive ministers earlier in May, but has yet to be made public. Trása Canavan of Barnardo's NI, who is also chair of the Anti- Poverty Strategy Group, was among groups who met Communities Minister Gordon Lyons earlier this week about the document. She said she had "serious concerns that it will not make any difference to the lives of the children, families and communities that our organisations support every day, and we raised this with minister Lyons this week". "The current draft of the Anti-Poverty Strategy is not fit for purpose. "It clearly shows that the government has committed no new actions or funding to tackle poverty in Northern Ireland." The 28-page paper sets out the executive's approach to tackling poverty over the next 10 years. It outlines efforts already being taken by various departments to help minimise the risks of people falling into poverty in Northern Ireland, as well as reducing its impacts and ways to help people get out of poverty. The document states that poverty is "not a problem which the executive can solve in isolation", but one that requires community groups, business, councils and voluntary groups to help. It adds that the strategy will be accompanied by a programme of delivery to be updated on an ongoing basis. Ms Canavan added that earlier this year her group had outlined what it wanted to see in the document in order for it to be effective. "This included clear and time-bound targets, a lifecycle approach, new actions and clear funding commitments, rather than counting work that is already under way. "Unfortunately, the draft strategy does not meet any of these key principles. "It is quite simply not good enough for the people of Northern Ireland. "Our group remains committed to working constructively with the government to eradicating poverty in Northern Ireland." The SDLP, Stormont's official opposition, said it is "impossible to be anything other than deeply underwhelmed" by the strategy. Mark H Durkan said the executive should be "embarrassed to present a document that reads more like a list of vague hopes than a plan of action". The paper sets out measures already being taken by the executive and says it will "continue to deliver a package of welfare mitigations" while lobbying Westminster on reforms and to maintain the triple lock on pensions. It adds that legislation being brought by Education Minister Paul Givan will ensure all school uniforms are affordable, and that strategies on fuel poverty will be developed. It also promises that "everyone, including those in or at risk of poverty, has access to good quality, affordable and sustainable homes". But Durkan said: "This document acknowledges the direct link between housing and poverty and yet the Executive have confirmed they will only build half of the homes intended this year. "The strategy also fails to confront one of the most damaging policies hitting low-income families: the two-child limit. Ministers have the power to address these issues, but once again they've chosen not to." When it was agreed last month by the executive, First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the plan probably could "go further" but denied there was a row between Sinn Fein and the DUP over it. Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons, whose department oversaw the design of the draft strategy, said it had "drawn heavily on the work that has already been carried out". The DUP minister succeeded Sinn Féín's Deirdre Hargey in the role when Stormont was restored in 2024 after a two-year hiatus. The Department for Communities said: "The draft Strategy reflects the Executive's priorities in the context of the ongoing fiscal and other challenges we face. "The minister has listened to a wide range of views ahead of the consultation launch, which will give people from all communities a chance to have their say on how we tackle poverty and transform lives in Northern Ireland. "Minister Lyons would encourage all stakeholders in this area to provide their feedback when the consultation formally opens." It added that officials were working to launch the consultation as soon as possible. Alliance assembly member Sian Mulholland told BBC NI's Sunday Politics programme that she had been "a bit disappointed" by the draft document. "After the anticipation and the waiting, we had a closed briefing session with our committee to talk through it," she said. She said she believed it showed a "lack of ambition". "We have been waiting so long for it and in the context of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, the NI Audit's report on poverty and child poverty in Northern Ireland we aren't seeing the recommendations and the lessons that should have been learned from the child poverty strategy making its way into this document," she added. You can watch Sunday Politics on BBC iPlayer. Stormont found in breach of duty on anti-poverty Anti-poverty strategy could 'go further' says first minister
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Spending Review to include £86bn science and tech package
An £86bn package for the science and technology sector will help fund research into drug treatments and longer-lasting batteries, the government has said ahead of Wednesday's Spending Review. The package also includes up to £500m for regions across the UK with local leaders having a say on how it is spent, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, whose review will outline day-to-day departmental and investment budgets over the next few years, said investing in the sector would create jobs and boost security. But research backers have warned that the government needs to do more to secure the UK's reputation for science on the world stage. Spending Review: Massive cheques from the chancellor for some - but what do totals hide? Reeves admits some will lose out in spending review Spending Review: When is it and what might Rachel Reeves announce? Reeves will set out departmental spending plans on Wednesday, with the package for science and technology expected to be worth more than £22.5 billion-a-year by 2029. DSIT said "every corner of the country" would benefit, with communities able to direct funding to expertise specific to their areas. In Liverpool, which has a long history in biotech, funding will be used to speed up drug discovery. Northern Ireland will receive money to develop defence equipment, while south Wales will use the money to design microchips used to power mobile phones and electric cars. The chancellor said: "Britain is the home of science and technology. Through the plan for change, we are investing in Britain's renewal to create jobs, protect our security against foreign threats and make working families better off." Tony McBride, director of policy and public affairs at the Institute of Physics, welcomed the funding but said the government would need to commit to a decade-long plan to train workers. "This must include a plan for the skilled workforce we need to deliver this vision, starting with teachers and addressing every educational stage, to underpin the industrial strategy," he said. John-Arne Rottingen, chief executive of Britain's biggest non-governmental research funder Wellcome, warned that visa costs for scientists from overseas, financial challenges at universities and a budget that was not adjusted for inflation could hamper the government's ambitions. "The UK should be aiming to lead the G7 in research intensity, to bring about economic growth and the advances in health, science and technology that benefit us all." The shadow technology secretary, Alan Mak, said the investment for the sector seemed to be a "copy and paste" of Conservative plans set out in its manifesto last year. "As Labour and Reform squabble over how to spend more taxpayers money, only the Conservatives are creating a serious plan for government to deliver growth and give you your country back," he added. Earlier this week, Reeves admitted that not every government department would "get everything they want" in Wednesday's review, saying she had turned down requests from ministers and argued a squeeze on funding was a "product of economic reality". Reeves said her fiscal rules on borrowing to pay for public services were "non-negotiable" and insisted they were necessary because of "Conservative maltreatment" of the economy. The Treasury said earlier this year that the chancellor's fiscal rules would ensure day-to-day spending was matched by tax revenues, meaning the government would only borrow to invest. Big chunks will go to favoured departments, with suggestions of an extra £30 billion for the NHS over three years. Whitehall insiders have told the BBC they expect the spending review will be "ugly", and that ministers have been fighting over winning small amounts of cash for their respective departments.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Spending review: Schools to get more funding but police warned to ‘do their bit'
Schools are set to receive a funding boost in the spending review, a Cabinet minister has indicated, as he insisted other public services must 'do their bit' amid concerns about cuts to other budgets. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the Government will commit to investing 'the most we've ever spent per pupil' next week, but declined to rule out the prospect of a real-terms squeeze on areas such as policing. Facing questions from broadcasters on Sunday about which public services will be prioritised, Mr Kyle said 'every part of our society is struggling' and numerous sectors had asked Chancellor Rachel Reeves for more money. 'On the fact that the police have been writing to the Chancellor, they have,' the Cabinet minister told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme. 'We also have letters from the universities, we have letters from doctors about the health service, we have letters from campaigners for child poverty writing to us, and other aspects of challenges in Britain at the moment. 'Every part of our society is struggling because of the inheritance that we had as a country and as a Government.' He pointed to the £1.1 billion extra funding already earmarked for police this year, warning that public services would be expected to 'do their bit' alongside Government as he defended Ms Reeves' stewardship of the country's finances. 'We expect the police to start embracing the change they need to do, to do their bit for change as well. We are doing our bit,' Mr Kyle said. 'You see a Chancellor that is striving to get investment to the key parts of our country that needs it the most… You will see the priorities of this Government reflected in the spending review, which sets the departmental spending into the long term. 'But this is a partnership. Yes, the Treasury needs to find more money for those key priorities, but the people delivering them need to do their bit as well.' The Department of Health is set to be the biggest winner in Ms Reeves' spending review on Wednesday, with the NHS receiving a boost of up to £30 billion at the expense of other public services. Economists have said the expected 2.8% annual increase in its day-to-day budget, which amounts to a rise of about £30 billion by 2028, or £17 billion in real terms, will see other departments squeezed. Speaking on Sunday, Mr Kyle said the schools system, along with an £86 billion funding package for research and development, would be top priorities as the Government seeks to 'invest in the future.' 'You will see in this spending review that we are investing the most we've ever spent per pupil in our school system,' he told Sky News. Mr Kyle said Labour was 'absolutely laser-focused' on delivering manifesto pledges amid questions about how competing commitments will be balanced with little room for manoeuvre amid narrow fiscal headroom. Asked about the Government's plan to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of the Parliament, the minister declined to guarantee Housing Secretary Angela Rayner's department would not face cuts. But he added: 'We made a manifesto commitment. We are absolutely laser-focused on delivering that.' He said the Government was also 'on the way' to delivering 13,000 new police officers, another manifesto pledge. Ms Reeves has acknowledged that she had been forced to turn down requests for funding in a sign of the behind-the-scenes wrangling over her spending review. She blamed the former Conservative government's stewardship of the economy rather than her self-imposed fiscal rules, which include a promise to match day-to-day spending with revenues. It comes after the Government announced science and technology sectors would receive new funding as part of an £86 billion package set to be confirmed next week. Mr Kyle's Department for Science, Technology and Innovation (DSIT) said the money would help research into new drug treatments and microchips used to power mobile phones and electric cars. The Tories accused Labour of copying their own plans in office over the commitment. Shadow technology secretary Alan Mak said: 'Labour's central budget announcement seems to be a reheat of Conservative plans just showing this Chancellor will copy and paste anyone's ideas to get out of the mess that she's put herself in. 'As Labour and Reform squabble over how to spend more taxpayers money, only the Conservatives are creating a serious plan for government to deliver growth and give you your country back.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
