
Nuleaf’s Chair, Cllr David Moore, at NDA Stakeholder Summit 2022
For an organisation like Nuleaf whose primary purpose is discussion and engagement, the restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic had a significant impact, moving our meetings and events online.
In reality, this enforced change proved easier to adapt to than many thought and has actually led to some positive outcomes. With nuclear communities all on the periphery of the country, in person meetings required our members to travel considerable distances regardless of the venue. Moving our Steering Group and planning group online has therefore proved popular with many. It has also freed us to hold extra, ad hoc meetings online on specific topics of interest, from the STEP fusion programme to emergency planning.
Of course, Teams and Zoom are not a panacea. While online meetings score well in terms of the efficient use of time, environmental impact and cost, many of us miss the chance to see colleagues in person and to have the informal and often useful chats over lunch or coffee.
The challenge, now we are able to meet face to face again, is to get that balance right. As Nuleaf, we had a very positive two-day meeting in Somerset this summer. There was none of the rush of our previous in person meetings, where members travelled there and back in a day. Instead, we were able to have more in depth discussions and presentations, and network over dinner.
Our external engagement has also been impacted significantly by lockdowns. As with our internal meetings, our stakeholder engagement has largely moved online, with the same benefits and also limitations. It was therefore very pleasant to participate in the first in person NDA Stakeholder Summit for 3 years, held in Edinburgh last week. The attendance from local authorities, and indeed all stakeholders, was good.
Nuleaf members were able to meet the NDA CEO David Peattie and discuss their issues and concerns, and both our Chair and I were able to address the audience as part of panel sessions on the restructuring of the NDA and the impacts of AGR decommissioning. Also welcome to see was the greater space in the agenda for NDA work on social value, sustainability and workforce skills and wellbeing, all primary concerns of ours.
Both within Nuleaf, and in our external engagement, we are working towards the right balance between the online and the in person. While Covid provided the unwelcome spur for this change, the impact on our meetings and engagement has had many upsides. Guided by members and partner organisations, our engagement will continue to evolve over the coming years.
Philip Matthews, Executive Director
September 2022