East of England poll: majority think new nuclear power station will bring jobs amidst lack of opportunities

• 70% of people in the East believe a new nuclear power station in Suffolk will bring job opportunities while it is being constructed – rising to 76% in Suffolk and 73% in Norfolk.
• Two thirds of East Suffolk residents (66%) believe new nuclear power station will have positive opportunities for local businesses
• New East of England poll reveals dissatisfaction with jobs and opportunities in the region
• Across the East of England, Norfolk (27%) and Suffolk (30%) have the lowest levels of satisfaction with availability of well-paying jobs
• Suffolk residents least satisfied with opportunities for young people – with only 44% believing there to be good opportunities

People in Suffolk and Norfolk are the least satisfied with the availability of well-paying jobs compared to other areas in the East of England, a new poll revealed today – while around three quarters think that a new nuclear power station would have a positive impact on jobs and opportunities.

In a poll of over 2,000 adults across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, and the parts of Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire closest to the Suffolk coast, only 30% of people in Suffolk and 27% of people in Norfolk were satisfied with the availability of good jobs in the region. Great Yarmouth polled the lowest satisfaction rate (20%) of anywhere in the East of England, with South Cambridgeshire the highest (59%).

Suffolk residents were also the least satisfied with opportunities for young people – with only 44% believing there to be good opportunities for young people in the county.

Majority believe nuclear power station would have positive impacts

While there is dissatisfaction in the East with the availability of jobs and opportunities, the majority of people think that a new nuclear power station in the area would have a positive impact on the availability of jobs and opportunities.

Overall, 70% of people in the East believe a new nuclear power station in Suffolk will bring job opportunities while it is being constructed, with this rising to 76% in Suffolk and 73% in Norfolk.

Sizewell C is currently under construction on the Suffolk coast, and is creating thousands of new jobs, apprenticeships, and training opportunities for the region. It has allocated £250m in local funding, and once operational it is expected to contribute £40m a year to the local economy and employ 900 people in high-skilled, well-paid jobs.

The 3.2GW nuclear power project – which will deliver 70% of its construction value to UK companies and support 70,000 high-quality jobs across the UK – is committed to spending £4.4bn in the East of England alone across the construction period and, at the start of the year, announced that it has delivered £2.5bn in contracts to nearly 300 UK suppliers.

People in Suffolk more likely to perceive benefits of new nuclear power station

The opportunity of Sizewell C is matched by the positive perception of the opportunities a new nuclear power station would bring, especially in Suffolk: two-thirds of Suffolk residents – the highest for any county in the East of England – think that a new nuclear power station would have a positive impact on jobs and training for young people, rising to 70% in East Suffolk and 78% in Great Yarmouth.

60% of people in Suffolk believe that a new nuclear power station will have positive opportunities for local businesses, rising to two thirds (66%) in East Suffolk – the most of any region.

While 63% of people in Suffolk believe a new nuclear power station will bring apprenticeships and professional development – again, more than any other region in the East.

New College to come for East Suffolk

The new polling follows a recent announcement from Sizewell C that it is to build a new post-16 college for its host town in Suffolk, in partnership with Suffolk New College – a move that could transform higher education access in the area and ensure a long-term skills legacy for the region.

Sizewell C’s plans also include building a new Apprenticeship & Trainee Hub – a dedicated centre for supporting up to 540 local apprentices, part of Sizewell C’s commitment to delivering 1,500 apprentices during construction. And a Centre of Excellence – a purpose-built, temporary training infrastructure for SZC’s project-facing workforce, focused on ‘Right First Time’ skills in civils, mechanical, electrical and welding.

The new polling revealed that 71% of people in Suffolk think investment from new infrastructure projects should go into jobs and skill training.

Julia Pyke, Joint Managing Director, Sizewell C, said: “The East of England is an area of great people, of great beauty, and great culture – but there are areas of deprivation here and many young people feel they do not have the opportunities they need on their doorstep, especially in areas here in Suffolk and Norfolk.

“Sizewell C is a once in a generation opportunity for people in the East of England – with thousands of jobs, apprenticeships, and training opportunities on offer. As this polling shows, people in this region recognise that – and they want those opportunities for this region. There’s a huge appetite, a huge need for jobs and opportunities here – and we see hundreds of people attending our jobs fairs across the region.

“We’ve made commitments to deliver thousands of jobs to people locally, and we’re already doing that: the majority of people who work on this project are already local, and as the project develops, thousands more local people will be working at Sizewell C, bringing growth and prosperity to the East of England.”