30 Sep 2018

Environment Agency and Natural England have released a new (Sept) update on the Water Environment Grant (WEG). Update Details 316 applications for the scheme have now been assessed for eligibility and scored against the prioritisation criteria. Those applications which are eligible are now going through a process of quality assurance (QA) and checks to make […]

18 Jul 2018

EA ‘The Environment Agency announced that water companies need to do more to protect the environment and published the annual Water Company Environmental Performance report highlighting that severe pollution incidents caused by water companies rose for the third year running last year. Although there has been a gradual improving trend in environmental performance over recent years, the […]

16 May 2018

Comment: A further step rippling from Labour’s threat to renationalise the water industry. MPs are sharpening their knives and even a cursory glimpse of the report on the collapse of Carillion will reveal a new appetite for highlighting boardroom greed. Carillion collapsed as a result of “recklessness, hubris and greed” among directors who put their […]

10 Jan 2018

Gove – Oxford Farming conference speech on reform of agricultural subsidy. It is a long read but there is a clear series of statements on, “Paying for what we value” later on in the speech. “The principal public good we will invest in is of course environmental enhancement. In thinking about how better to support […]

06 Dec 2017

Following the consultation it initiated in 2015, Defra has released its conclusions on farming rules for water. Click here for a press notice, policy paper and overview of the rules. Defra’s documents outline the new rules and say that in essence: the rules cover both management of fertilisers and manure and management of soils; in […]

06 Dec 2017

Defra, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Rural Payments Agency are developing a scheme under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) called the Water Environment Grant (WEG) to fund improvements to the water environment. The proposed scheme is being designed to support delivery of projects that are currently funded through the Water Environment […]

15 Mar 2017

Defra publish strategic policy statement Water UK Communications: Defra publish their strategic policy statement for the water industry for consultation. This document sets out the government’s strategic priorities for Ofwat’s regulation of the water sector in England. We welcome the move to a more concise SPS which clearly highlights securing long-term resilience and protecting customers […]