Lincolnshire County Council’s scrutiny committee recommends withdrawing from Nuclear Waste Services option in Gayton Le Marsh

Councillors have moved to pull the plug on talks to bury nuclear waste in open countryside near the coast.

Members of Lincolnshire County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Management Board have recommended the council’s Executive withdraw from a community partnership it joined with Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) in 2021, ending Lincolnshire’s involvement in the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) siting process.

The council, alongside East Lindsey District Council, joined a working group in 2021 to explore the possibility of a GDF at a brownfield former gas terminal in Theddlethorpe, near Mablethorpe.

However, at the start of 2025, the government agency — formerly known as Radioactive Waste Management — announced it had shifted the proposed location to open countryside between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton, roughly four miles inland from the original site.

East Lindsey was one of three areas shortlisted by Nuclear Waste Services, along with Mid Copeland and South Copeland in Cumbria.

A report to councillors noted that, based on the geological criteria required to keep an underground facility safe and isolated for hundreds of thousands of years, the clay-type geology in Lincolnshire appears to offer an “optimum combination of strength and ‘self-healing’ plasticity, size, uniformity, and water impermeability” to be suitable for a GDF.

During a meeting today (Thursday, May 29), Councillor Richard Davies, leader of the Conservative opposition at Lincolnshire County Council, proposed recommending the immediate withdrawal from the partnership, following in the footsteps of East Lindsey District Council, which pulled out in April in the hopes of ending ongoing uncertainty for residents.

Pointing to what was one of the main issues raised in the debate — a lack of transparency from NWS — he said: “Are the community suitably informed? The absolute answer is no.

“We’ve had five years and we still aren’t informing people. We’re still in this realm of ‘probably’, ‘possibly’, ‘it may happen.’”

Coun Davies added: “It is unacceptable for us to sit here and subject our communities to a decade and a half of uncertainty. To coin a phrase: you’ve had your chance.”

The motion was seconded by Coun Lindsey Cawrey (Conservative), who said: “It was right at the time to engage with the process.

“But since this process has started, our communities have made their feelings clear and the proposal has changed significantly from what was previously suggested.”

A final decision on Lincolnshire County Council’s involvement in the Community Partnership is due to be made at the next Executive meeting on Tuesday, June 3.

Mike Crookes, chairman of Guardians of the East Coast, attended the meeting and urged the board to withdraw from the talks, despite officers recommending an early test of public sentiment to help inform a future decision on the council’s involvement.

“There should be no test of public support. The public have had their say,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service, referring to recent large-scale studies that show 85% of the local community do not want a GDF.

“Our stance from day one — since this was uncovered by a whistleblower — has been to garner the community to ask: is this what we want? And the community very quickly said, ‘this is definitely not what we want.’”

Referring to the report which suggested the Lincolnshire site was the strongest candidate being considered, David Fannin, chairperson of the Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership, said: “From a Treasury point of view, as well as from a national safety and security point of view — without the further development consent-related processes — this probably is the best area. I would have loved the opportunity to explore that further and longer with the Community Partnership, but not at the cost to the local community.

“If it had been possible to remove uncertainty or to exercise a duty of care that mitigated the impact on the local community, I would have been more reassured about staying in the process.

"But, the council has spoken, local people have spoken up loudly and clearly, and we have to respect that. I think the Community Partnership knew that would be the case.”

Seth Kybird, CEO of NWS, also attended the meeting, pointing out that the UK has been a nuclear country since the 1950s and, as a result, has left behind a legacy of waste to deal with.

He drew parallels to the Canadian GDF siting process, where in late 2024, after almost 14 years of technical study and engagement in the area, Ignace and the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation (WLON) in northern Ontario were selected as the location for the Canadian GDF.

“The Canadian example is similar — it took them many years to build up that information and trust in communities,” he told the board.

“This process does take time, it’s not something we can come out with all the answers at once.”

Mr Kybird refused to talk to press after the meeting. His colleague Simon Hughes, NWS siting and communities director, said in a statement issued later: “Since the launch of the Geological Disposal Facility siting process in Lincolnshire, the council has advocated for residents to have the opportunity to have access to the information they need to make an informed decision about the future for long term disposal of radioactive waste. Their participation has played a key role in facilitating conversations with local people about the process, its implications, and potential benefits associated with hosting a GDF.

“Given the long-term nature of the siting process, up to £1m a year of Government funding is available to those areas that have formed a GDF Community Partnership. NWS has to date granted over £2million to support local community projects in the area.

“The entire GDF siting process is based on community consent and there is an absolute requirement for any potential host community to have given its consent prior to any development being agreed.

“This conversation can carry on without commitment, but we will fully respect and understand any decision made by the council’s Executive on June 3.”

He added: “We have worked with the Community Partnership, local stakeholders and the community to share information and answer questions, so that people feel informed about the GDF programme.

“We held many public events, produced dedicated websites and newsletters, and met regularly with local people and stakeholders. We have also been delighted to support the local community with funding for projects, such as a community garden, employability programme, and befriending service.”