08 Feb 2023

Average yearly water and sewerage bills in England and Wales are forecast to rise by £31 (7.5%) to £448 in the forthcoming year, below inflation (November CPIH inflation, which regulators set as the benchmark, was 9.3%). Water bills remain lower, in real terms, than they were a decade ago. Read more at Water UK The […]

08 Feb 2023

From waterwise Defra, the Environment Agency and Ofwat have written to the chairs of the five regional water resource planning groups in England to confirm that they expect the groups to continue and deliver a further round of regional multi-sector water resource planning.  The regulators highlight the benefits of working beyond company boundaries, optimising water […]

08 Feb 2023

Major water projects could be fast tracked through planning under Government plans to reform the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime. On 25th January, Michael Gove, secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, told Parliament that his department is working with Defra, BEIS, Treasury and the Department for Transport on modernising the approach […]

08 Feb 2023

Over the past few months, the scandal of our sewage-polluted watercourses and seas in the UK has had widespread publicity. The public is rightly horrified that most of our British watercourses are not fit for swimming in and that untreated sewage spills have occurred so often – but not all of us are aware that […]

08 Feb 2023

This Factsheet explores common water-related challenges, such as water availability, quality, and management, their associated risks, and relevant policies, while proposing nature-based solutions as a paradigm shift. By outlining key benefits of using nature for an integrated and ecosystem-based water management approach, and best practices in different contexts and ecosystems, the factsheet demonstrates the potential […]

01 Feb 2023

The government has published its long-awaited “five-year delivery plan to restore nature and improve the environmental quality of the air, our waters and our land”. Key aspects include Every household to be be within a 15-minute walk of a green space or water. A commitment to restore at least 500,000 hectares (1.2m acres) of wildlife habitat, […]

01 Feb 2023

Covered in the Guardian Farmers will be eligible for funding for up to 280 actions that protect environment under new system Guardian comment: New farm subsidies regime could be great for nature – if properly funded Farmers in England will be able to receive government funding for up to 280 different actions that protect the […]

01 Feb 2023

Natural England has published the National Green Infrastructure Framework, a commitment in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan. It is designed to help local planning authorities and developers in England meet requirements in the National Planning Policy Framework to consider green infrastructure in local plans and in new developments. The Green Infrastructure Framework comprises: Green […]