Developing our workforce

We anticipate reaching peak towards the end of 2022, with a steady increase in workforce between now and then, as COVID-19 conditions allow.  

We have a dedicated web page where residents can find out more information about these changes. We're also holding two virtual events where people can speak with members of the Hinkley Point C team. The events will be held online, with a dedicated website that will share information on key subject areas relating to our workforce management and community commitments. We'll also be using Zoom to speak directly with members of the public and answer your questions. 

As part of our assessment of workforce numbers, we have seen that a higher proportion of workers than expected are locally based and stay in their own homes. At the peak of construction we are expecting around half of workers to be locally based. 

For the rest of the workforce who work away from home, we anticipate the majority will live in the main towns and villages in close proximately to the Hinkley Point C site as well as our dedicated campuses which can accommodate 1,500 workers.  

The £7.5 million Hinkley Point C housing fund provided to the Local Authorities is successfully helping to increase the amount of accommodation available for the workforce and increase the pool of affordable homes for local people and families. The Local Authorities expect to deliver more than 4,000 new bed spaces into the local area, far more than our workers are expected to use, even at the new peak. Over 1,500 bed spaces have already been created in Sedgemoor.  

Over the past four years of operation, we have been able to improve the efficiency of our bus services so that, even with an increased workforce, we expect that we will only operate half the number of bus journeys that we forecast in our original plans. We are also confident that the number of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV’s) travelling to site will remain within the strict limits of our planning conditions.  

Our DCO assessed the impact of 1,104 bus movements per day, with a more efficient service now in operation the maximum number of bus movements is expected to be in the region of 525 per day.  

In quarter 4 of 2020 we saw an average of 148 HGV movements per day, which is well within our limit of 500. 

To help put this into context, pre-pandemic there were approximately 16,000 vehicles on the A39 south of Cannington every day.  

Monitoring fly parking will remain an ongoing focus for the project throughout construction. Whilst we’ve noticed a significant drop in fly parking enquiries since moving to a bus service which focuses on our Park & Ride’s, our dedicated team remains on hand to look into reports of fly parking and take appropriate action.  

Hinkley Point C is already providing substantial benefit to the local area. Almost £3 billion has been spent with regional businesses and thousands of jobs and apprenticeships are helping local people to start and develop new careers - something that is especially significant as the country faces the economic challenges of the pandemic. 

The Hinkley Point C Jobs Service works with it’s partner Jobcentre Plus, as well as other support organisations and training providers, to promote vacancies to local people. They offer support to help people update their CV’s and prepare for a job application. In normal times we run regular recruitment events, which attract hundreds of people, enabling them to speak to employers and find out more about opportunities. We are currently hosting virtual job fairs and online web chats as part of our ongoing support.  

As part of our commitment to leave a lasting legacy, we’re recognised as a Cornerstone Employer meaning we invest time and resources to support local schools and colleges to inspire the next generation, whilst also providing careers advice and guidance. 

Our extensive measures to prevent infection are proving to be effective and they will continue to be in place for as long as the risk exists. As part of this, we are undertaking an extensive testing programme completing 1,000 tests a week.  

We are continuing to follow Government and Public Health England advice and take expert advice to protect our workforce and the community. The number of workers on site will continue to be led by what is safe.