About us

Engaging with the local community is not a new concept for Sellafield Ltd, historically there have been a number of forums designed to enable members of local communities adjacent to the nuclear licensed sites to scrutinise the work of the nuclear operators.

The first group was created in the 1940’s – named accordingly to reflect the nuclear licensed site at the time – The Windscale Local Liaison Committee. 

In 1981 the Windscale Licensed Site was re-branded as the Sellafield Site and the liaison group became the Sellafield Local Liaison Committee.

The Sellafield Local Liaison Committee transitioned into the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group in 2005 when the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) was created and became the owners of Sellafield Ltd, at this point the Low-Level Waste Repository became a separate nuclear licensed site from Sellafield.

The purpose of the group has always remained the same, to ensure members of the public and local communities are able to ask questions and challenge the work of the site owners, (Currently NDA), the authorities that regulate the sites (ONR and EA) and the operators of the sites, Sellafield Ltd and Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) providing public scrutiny of the nuclear industry in West Cumbria.

The WCSSG is an independent body and includes representatives from local government, regulators, union representatives, town and parish councils and emergency services to name a few.

All of our meetings are open to members of the public and are generally held in locations that are freely accessible to members of the public and press.

Since COVID, a number of our meetings are held virtually so it is recommended that you check the calendar of events or the working group pages for further details.

Site information

Sellafield Ltd

Sellafield has been over 70 years in the making. A pioneer for the UK’s nuclear industry, it supported national defence, generated electricity for nearly half a century, and developed the ability to safely manage nuclear waste.

Each chapter of Sellafield’s history delivered great benefit for the country while creating a complex nuclear clean-up challenge for which there are no blueprints.

Decommissioning the site will take us more than 100 years and there is much that we still don’t know. Every day we are building greater certainty and we will be the generation that makes demonstrable progress in cleaning up Sellafield.

That will be our legacy.

Message from the Chief Executive Officer, Sellafield Ltd

Being asked to undertake the role of Chief Executive Officer at Sellafield is a huge privilege for me.  I have worked at Sellafield and lived in Cumbria for many years, and I feel a real sense of pride that I have such an important role within an organisation that has always had such a huge impact on the local surrounding area.

Stakeholder Engagement is a key element in my future plans for the Sellafield site and I’ve made rebuilding relationships with key stakeholders through openness and transparency the first of my priorities.

My executive team and myself are fully committed to the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group and will ensure we are involved by updating members on the work we are doing at Sellafield and ensuring stakeholders continue to have the confidence that we are listening to, and addressing their concerns.

Euan Hutton

Nuclear Waste Services

Nuclear Waste Services started operating on 31 January 2022, bringing together the expertise from LLW Repository Ltd and Radioactive Waste Management Ltd.

Coming together as a single business provides an integrated way of tackling waste of the past, while offering more sustainable and efficient services to waste producers, now and in the future.

Nuclear Waste Services continues to oversee the operations of the Low Level Waste Repository LLWR, the nuclear licensed site scrutinised by the WCSSG.

LLWR is the UK’s only dedicated facility for the disposal of low level radioactive waste and has operated safely since 1959.  Low level waste (LLW) mainly arises from the nuclear industry, power generation, and decommissioning activities, but it is also created by research, healthcare, defence and the oil and gas industries.  LLW is typically comprised of materials used in a radioactive operating environment such as paper, cardboard, plastic, protective clothing, soil, rubble and metal.  The waste is containerised for transport to the site by either rail or road.  Wherever possible, LLW is treated and/or compacted to reduce the final disposal volume and upon arrival at LLWR, the containers are grouted prior to emplacement in engineered concrete vaults.

The NWS Working Group covers topics relating to NWS, the Low Level Waste Repository, Nuclear Transport Services and the Geological Disposal Facility community partnerships.

Message from Chief Operating Officer, Nuclear Waste Services

The NWS Working Group performs a vital role in holding our business to account in all aspects, on behalf of our community.

We welcome this scrutiny and view it as an integral part of our strategy to enjoy an open and honest dialogue with stakeholders, keeping the public apprised of our activities.

Martin Walkingshaw