18 Sep 2024

Following last week’s publication of the Water (Special Measures) Bill, the government has given a clearer indication of the importance of water sector investment in the delivery of growth and job creation. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed and Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Livermore hosted a roundtable […]

12 Sep 2024

The new government has set out details of the provisions in the Water (Special Measures) Bill and how they are intended to apply. The policy statement includes details on provisions which will enable government and regulators to: block bonuses for executives who pollute our waterways bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers enable automatic and […]

01 Aug 2024

Within a month of taking office, the Government has announced a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) to be completed by the end of the year to deliver our legally binding targets to save nature. The Government will develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery plans […]

11 Jul 2024

New Environment Secretary Steve Reed has announced a series of initial steps towards ending the crisis in the water sector. He has today announced: He has written to Ofwat to ask them to make sure funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced and can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment. He […]

10 Jul 2024

New Environment Secretary Steve Reed used x (formerly known as twitter) to set out the top 5 priorities for Defra in the new parliament. These are: Rivers and seas clean up Zero waste economy Support famers for food security Nature recovery Protecting communities from flooding Also of interest, these key points from CIWEM – Labour […]

21 May 2024

A new report sheds light on the future impacts of climate change on marine species across the United Kingdom. Focussing on 21 marine species listed as ‘threatened’ or ‘declining’, ranging from sharks and rays to seahorses and oysters, predictive models were used to forecast the impacts of climate change on ‘habitat suitability’. Factors such as […]

14 May 2024

‘Deeply concerning’ failures to properly implement regulations designed to protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters in England mean key targets for improvement will be missed, a report by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. The OEP has carried out a review of the key legislation regarding water quality – the Water Framework Directive […]