The Environment Agency consulted on proposals to increase charges for regulating radioactive substances at non-nuclear sites under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, in line with government requirements to recover the full cost of regulatory services.
The review reflects that charges were last updated in 2018 and have since been affected by around 30% inflation, higher staff costs due to specialist skill requirements, and additional responsibilities as counter-terrorism security regulator for high-activity sealed radioactive sources, including a new five-year programme of permit variations and inspections, partially offset by a 7.5% increase introduced in August 2025 and efficiencies from IT investment.
This consultation closed on 17 February 2026.
Source: EA.