Lincolnshire County Council withdraws from Geological Disposal Facility process
Lincolnshire County Council has withdrawn from talks to bury nuclear waste in open countryside near the coast.
Executive members of the newly Reform UK-led authority voted to formally exit a community partnership it joined with Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) in 2021, effectively ending Lincolnshire’s involvement in the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) siting process.
East Lindsey District Council, which had also joined the working group, pulled out earlier this year after the proposed focus area shifted from the former gas terminal at Theddlethorpe, near Mablethorpe, to land between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton—about four miles inland from the original site.
East Lindsey was one of three areas shortlisted by Nuclear Waste Services—formerly Radioactive Waste Management—alongside Mid Copeland and South Copeland in Cumbria. A recent report to councillors described Lincolnshire’s geology as the most suitable for a GDF.
During a meeting on Tuesday morning (June 3), members unanimously agreed to withdraw from the partnership, despite officers recommending an early test of public sentiment.
Council leader Sean Matthews said: "During the election, I said that if I became the leader of the council, I would withdraw from this agreement on day one, and on day one I enacted the emergency protocol to do just that.
"Today is the completion of that process, demonstrating that, when we at Reform UK say something, we do it."
He also apologised to the communities in Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton, saying that the ideas was "preposterous" all along. He added: "The previous Tory administration has treated you appallingly."
Coun Danny Brookes, executive member for environment, told members during the debate: "This project is being pursued despite overwhelming public opposition."
He warned that the local tourism industry was at "serious risk", pointing to a study by the Guardians of the East Coast which estimated that, if the GDF were built on the coast, it could result in a 40.5% drop in tourism—costing over 3,000 jobs and £250 million in lost income.
Coun Brookes also highlighted frustration among residents over what he described as a lack of transparency and communication from NWS throughout the process. "It’s a form of torture, they tell me," he said.
Echoing those concerns, Coun Natalie Oliver, executive member for children's services, said the process had caused "unprecedented levels of trauma for the communities involved."
Simon Hughes, NWS Siting and Communities Director, responded to today's news, stating: “NWS has to date granted over £2million to support local community projects in the area and we are pleased to have left a lasting positive legacy for local people.
"We will now take the immediate steps needed to close the Community Partnership and the communities of Withern and Theddlethorpe, and Mablethorpe will leave the GDF siting process”
