Burnham vows to save Jodrell Bank research following outcry

Andy Burnham has committed to saving the important Jodrell Bank telescope, following an outcry from scientists and the public over the decision to pull research funding for the site.

The prime minister’s pledge comes after UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) said in July that the Cheshire-based site is set to lose funding by 2028.

The UKRI announcement was part of cuts to nine space and physics research projects in the UK, planned to reduce spiralling costs – exceeding £162 million – at the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

But, speaking in the House of Commons on 1 September, Burnham said: “There must be a way to save Jodrell Bank, and I give a commitment today, in this dispatch box, we will find it.”

Sarah Russell, MP for Congleton, in whose constituency Jodrell sits, had told Burnham that the site is “facing a significant problem in the medium term because of funding cuts”.

Burnham told MPs that, “I know there’s changes that have been made in relation to research funding, but Jodrell Bank is a heritage asset for the country, as well as a research asset. I will, indeed, set up the meeting.”

He added that “Everyone of my generation…went on a school trip to Jodrell Bank, and there is no way that we can see its demise, and it won’t happen under my government.”

Tom Grinyer, chief executive of the Institute of Physics, said that the commitment was “extremely welcome news for physics, science and the north of England”. But he has warned that “Jodrell Bank is, however, only one part of a much bigger picture”.

“The recent funding changes that include Jodrell Bank will affect facilities, research programmes, university departments and scientific capability across the UK.”

Speaking before Burnham’s commitment during a debate in Westminster on science facilities and laboratories, Alison Hulme, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, argued that the reduction in funding for another project impacted by the STFC cuts, Boulby underground laboratory, went against the government’s economic growth objectives.

She said that “given the government’s stated commitment to place-based growth, regional rebalancing and the growth mission, how can a reduction in support for Boulby laboratory be reconciled with their objectives?”

Boulby, the site marked for a 40 per cent operating budget reduction, is in the north east of England, between Saltburn and Whitby.

“The cuts are so drastic that they pose an existential threat to Boulby’s future – and…the issue goes far beyond Boulby. STFC’s prioritisation review has proposed sweeping cuts across the board for fundamental physics, nuclear physics and astronomy,” Hulme told MPs.

Of the affected science facilities, Kate Dearden, minister for the future of work, said, “I completely agree that they are not merely items on a balance sheet; they are national assets.”

Other facilities affected by the STFC cuts include the UK’s national laser facility, Diamond Light Source, and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, the national centre for physical sciences research.

frances.jones@timeshighereducation.com