AN INITIATIVE aiming to tap into the economic potential of businesses supplying the Sellafield nuclear site has a new programme director.

John Maddison has been seconded to the Industrial Solutions Hub (ISH), which is aimed at helping businesses in West Cumbria grow and develop new markets.

“Bringing together world-leading decommissioning skills and capabilities from Sellafield Ltd and its supply chain, our aim is to create a geographical cluster of businesses that will transform the economic prospects of West Cumbria and become a significant export earner for the UK,” said Mr Maddison.

“This will build more resilience into the local economy and make it less reliant on the Sellafield site.”

The ISH is being led by Copeland Borough Council and has backing from Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

The secondment of Mr Maddison was made by Jacobs, a firm which provides a ‘full spectrum’ of professional services, including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery.

As director of engineering development, Maddison headed Jacobs’ growing business, providing solutions to complex engineering challenges across the nuclear industry.

Mike Starkie, the mayor of Copeland, said: “As part of our post-pandemic recovery, this is a tremendous opportunity to attract new companies, new jobs and much needed regeneration to this area and provide a payback on the public investment which has gone into Sellafield over the years.”