Who killed the Nuclear AMRC?

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to Thursday’s Tribune.

The University of Sheffield is one of the most powerful organisations in the city. As well as a place of study for around 30,000 students, it is also a major employer, and in its research into advanced manufacturing at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Nuclear AMRC, works closely with the private sector to boost regional industry.

So, when it was announced last month that three quarters of the staff — around 90 people — at the Nuclear AMRC were to lose their jobs, it came as a shock. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been speaking to people who know what’s been going on at the Nuclear AMRC over the last few years. What we’ve uncovered hasn’t been pretty: an organisation which has existed for a decade and a half, without ever turning a profit, accusations of leadership styles that were “bullying, incompetent and grossly unprofessional” — and which allegedly led to the departure of 15 members of staff — and issues with low morale amongst the staff who’ve stayed the course. So how did an organisation with so much promise end up here? And what’s next for nuclear research and development in South Yorkshire?

Editor’s note: When news of the Nuclear AMRC redundancies broke last month, we had a hunch there was a more nuanced story behind the headlines that wasn’t being told. If you’re happy with simple stories and copy-and-paste jobs of press releases, then you can get that from plenty of other outlets. If you want journalism that goes further and seeks to explain what’s really going on in the most powerful and important institutions in the city, then The Tribune is for you. We’re only able to provide the coverage we do thanks to our generous paying subscribers. To read today’s piece and full and support the future of high quality journalism in Sheffield, join us today.

The Tribune moves into Leah’s Yard

We’ve got some big news to announce: The Tribune has a new office! 

For the last year, we’ve been working out of a co-work (Union St). It’s been excellent and we’ve made lots of friends there, but we’ve got to the point of needing a little space of our own. Having our own newsroom, even if it’s only big enough for four desks, feels like a big step forward. (And having walls of our own will allow us to construct those string maps connecting different people, crimes and news clippings, like you see in detective programmes).

We’re going to be moving into one of the new/very old units in Leah’s Yard, which is reopening in just a couple of weeks. For a publication that likes to write about both Sheffield’s history and its latest developments, it feels like a perfect fit. Our office is a mere 30-second walk from the new Hop Hideout bar, something that will no doubt boost our productivity!

Your Tribune briefing

🗳️ A Sheffield councillor has received a death threat, while others have been subjected to abuse and intimidation, The Star reports. Journalist Harry Harrison has obtained details of threatening messages which he says shed light on the “frightening vilification of councillors”, culminating in the death threat made in a phone call in July 2023. Councillor Ben Miskell confirmed that threats and abuse towards councillors has been on the rise in recent years.

🧹 This really good piece on the BBC website speaks to some of the people who live near the scene of the riot in Manvers last weekend. Resident Caroline Bradley says she and other local residents were initially against asylum seekers being housed there without consultation, but in the couple of years the migrants have been there she cannot recall any trouble they have caused. "I appreciate people have got opinions, but it was next-level hate," she says.

⚽ A South Yorkshire referee has been named England Football’s match official of the year. Nominating him for the award, the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA said Steve Bradford, from Rotherham, had donated every penny of his match fee in 25 years of officiating to local charities and groups. Steve, who has taken charge of more than 6,000 fixtures, was given his award by England Football at last weekend's Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.

Things to do

🧵 On Saturday, Little Hummingbird Events will be bringing a mix of vintage, craft and artisan makers to Sheffield Cathedral (10am-4pm). Suitable for all the family, the free market will showcase the very best of small independent talent from Sheffield and the surrounding areas in the spectacular surroundings of one of Sheffield’s most stunning buildings.

🏭 On Sunday, discover the history of Kelham Island on a walking tour that brings to life one of Sheffield’s first industrial districts. On the walk, you’ll discover fascinating stories about the area’s history and the people who made it, and get an insight into how it became the Kelham of today. The 2km walk starts at 10.30am and takes around two hours. Tickets are £10. Find out more about this walk (and other walking tours) on the Kelham Island Walks website.

🚗 Also on Sunday, The Moor hosts its annual classic car show (10.30am-4pm). Step back in time to discover the cars of the past with over one hundred vehicles on display including MGs, Morris Minors, Capris, vintage collectables and many other makes and models from over the years. There will also be a host of other activities including a face painter, balloon modeller, and the Mos Eisley Misfits, who will be bringing entertainment from a galaxy far, far away.

Who killed the Nuclear AMRC?

The news came as a shock. In July, staff at the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) in Rotherham were told that three-quarters of them would have to find new jobs. Of the around 120 staff who currently work there, only around 30 would remain, to be transferred to the neighbouring Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). A 90-day consultation period, which began in July, will see all staff from the CEO down having to reapply for their jobs. 

The Nuclear AMRC has been running for 15 years now. Set up under the last Labour government in 2009, its founding mission was to help UK manufacturers win work in the civil nuclear sector. As well as research and development, the centre would work with British firms to help them design and build components that could be used in nuclear power plants, enabling them to become part of the supply chain and therefore share in the growth of the UK’s civil nuclear sector.

The last 15 years haven’t been plain sailing. Big challenges in the nuclear industry — from a shift to smaller reactors rather than the more traditional giant power plants, to disasters like Fukushima in Japan that have made nuclear less appealing — have made profit difficult for the centre to attain. The UK’s recent change of government provided some hope that things could change: new energy secretary Ed Miliband wants to quadruple the amount of nuclear energy we produce by 2050, and there is speculation that the government may be about to push the button on a new generation of nuclear power plants. Given all the public money that has been poured into it, why shut it down at the precise moment it might be about to pay off? 

Why indeed. After speaking to around half a dozen well-placed insiders, The Tribune has a reasonably full picture of what has been happening inside the institution over the past few years. While these insiders don't all agree on the cause of the problems, they paint a picture of an organisation in disarray. Poor management and missed financial targets, a governance structure ill-suited to the demands of the civil nuclear industry — and, in the University of Sheffield, a parent organisation that has seemingly lost its belief in the centre’s original mission.