Concern over funding ‘stigma’ from Theddlethorpe nuclear storage

There are concerns that community groups in Theddlethorpe are not applying for a share of nearly £1million due to of the money’s links with a potential nuclear storage dump.

Only a handful of applications from Theddlethorpe community groups have been received for the grants.

The money is being made available due to Nuclear Waste Services exploring a potential for the area to host a Geological Disposal Facility.

The money is set to be handed out over the next 15-20 years — with £1million a year allocated while local studies are carried out, and £2.5million a year while drilling boreholes and further exploring the geology of the area.

Lincolnshire County Council’s Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee were told on Tuesday that few groups had come forward to claim it.

Councillor Matthew Boles said: “It would strike me that the reason there’s a very small uptake in applying for these grants is that the local residents have attached stigma to it.

“They might feel that if they apply for this money they’re somehow supporting and are in favour of it.”

However, council officers said they didn’t believe this was the case.

Councillor Martin Griggs and some others also worried that the £1m budget would be difficult to match after the first year.

Councillors also raised concerns about any strings being attached to the bids and a lack of detailed information around infrastructure needs and the 4,000 jobs NWS has said the GDF works could create over its lifetime.

Justin Brown, Lincolnshire County Council’s assistant director for growth, however, said he was “not surprised that not many people have applied yet”.

“With any grant programme, the first year is always very slow so I’m not reading as much into that as you are,” he said.

The NWS is currently carrying out a series of engagement events and has organised a Community Partnership made up of local council leaders and other representatives.

Councillors were told that Lincolnshire County Council had challenged the jobs figures and called for a more localised report.

The county had also started to identify major infrastructure needs along with flooding, training, transport and environment concerns.

Officers said it was up to NWS to advise the local community on the funding options available.

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