Other Water News: The next round of River Basin District Plans are to be published for consultation in September (22^nd) and The Water Stakeholder Forum which was begun to help stakeholders understand WFD has been wound up. Defra announces preferred candidate to chair Environment Agency

Owen Paterson, Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced that Philip Dilley has been selected as the Government’s preferred candidate to succeed Lord Chris Smith in the post of Chair of the Environment Agency. Mr. Dilley, who until recently the Executive Chairman of Arup, the global planning, engineering, and project management consulting group, was identified following a rigorous selection process which was validated by an independent assessor from the Office of the Commissioner for Public. He is currently Chairman of London First, a business membership organisation with the mission to make London the best city in the world in which to do business. He is also a Member of the Governing Council of Imperial College. The Secretary of State has now invited the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing and to report on Mr Dilley’s suitability for the post, in line with the Government’s commitment to strengthen the role of Parliament in scrutinising major public appointments.  For more details click here