Is SWRDA Going Nuclear?

south west | the environment | news report Friday October 17, 2008 13:53 by SWRDAwatch - SouthWestWatch

Is the ongoing crisis of direction for SWRDA going nuclear? SWRDA investigates...

SWRDA has come in for a lot of flack of late. A new Tory government may see it stripped of power, but in the meantime is SWRDA busy looking to nuclear power? Answers are needed.

The South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) may be feeling a little glum as recent reports in the Western Daily Press indicate that a new Troy goernment would strip them of the powers of transport, housing and planning;

Amid growing speculation about the body's future if David Cameron's Conservatives win the next election, the party will unveil plans which will preserve the SWRDA in name alone. It will be stripped of powers on transport, planning and housing and instead focus solely on business and economic development. The SWRDA – which last year received £159 million in Government funding – has come under fire from critics who question how well the money is spent. One of the most persistent criticisms is the size of the area it covers, stretching from Land's End to Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The Labour government has promised greater accountability of the region's unelected bodies through a regional select committee, though a year after the pledge was made, the plan has still not been enacted.
http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/news/Tories-p....html

These areas are a major part of what SWRDA has been spending its (our) cash on. We reported how after spending over £22 million on controversial airport expansion, it then pulled the plug feeling it could not justify the costs in new jobs. An example in housing is the controversial Osprey Quay, opposed by over 1500 locals. SWRDA has also been funding a large trance of cash to road building projects.

So what will it do? One option is to go nuclear. Literally! Yes the signs are there that SWRDA is interested in nuclear power (and possibly more?) Our research has shown that despite publicly offering no opinion on nuclear power either way (as we reported) and pushing for renewable energy, the notes of a January 2005 meeting of the South West Nuclear Employers Forum, that SWRDA was giving off very different signals. The event, attended by luminaries from Oldbury Power Station, the MOD and more noted;

Much had happened in the industry nationally and in the region since last April. The Chairman said that these messages were taken into the SW RDA in several meetings – the latest early Jan this year. SW RDA is now starting to recognise the value of the industry – this is a precondition for getting SWRDA support for the industry, in particular funding for personal development, training, retraining etc. SWRDA’s Advanced Engineering objective is our best bet and the responsible manager, Graham Harrison, was responding well although unable to be present this day.

Now keep in mind the Guardian 2007 investigation entitled 'Nuclear's hidden subsidies'; "Gifts to the nuclear industry come in many guises, via government subsidies to help cover the cost of insurance, regulation and research and development, without which the private sector wouldn't invest in nuclear power."

Could this signal given back in 2005 be a pre-cursor to the government's decision to go nuclear? Could it mean that SWRDA does have nuclear ambitions? Time will tell, 'cos SWRDA aint.

Related SWRDA stories

SWRDA Ignores Local Protest in Dorset
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/688363

Nuclear Power - Full of Wind?
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/688931