01 Nov 2023
05 Oct 2023
Environment Secretary lashes out at water companies
Last week saw the publication by Ofwat of the Water Company Performance Report 2022-23, which focused on the £114mn that companies will be forced to pay back customers for poor performance. The Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has issued a strongly worded statement, calling the “extremely disappointing”. She says: “While I acknowledge there is good work […]
05 Oct 2023
Government responds to mandatory water efficiency labelling consultation
Defra has published the summary of responses and government response to the recent consultation on UK mandatory water efficiency labelling. There were a total of 98 responses to the consultation. The majority of respondents supported the introduction of a standalone mandatory water efficiency labelling to deliver the policy, with 74% of the responses agreeing or […]
29 Aug 2023
UK among first countries to back new nature recovery fund
The UK will stand among the first countries to contribute to the newly launched Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, Defra has announced. Previously funded work included providing new software to support rangers in Africa to track and protect animals from poachers, targeted finance towards more effective ocean management strategies in Asia, and helping to safeguard the […]
15 Aug 2023
Environmental groups urge government not to scale back PR24 spend
A coalition of 15 leading environmental groups has written to the Government urging it not to delay or cut back on environmental spend at PR24 to improve water quality. The organisations include the Wildlife Trusts, Rivers Trust, Surfers against Sewage, RSPB England, Friends of the Earth and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. They were responding to […]
15 Aug 2023
Environment Secretary holds meeting
Defra has issued a press release to let the world know that Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey and Water Minister Rebecca Pow met stakeholders “to discuss actions to improve the River Deben” in Suffolk. Apparently part of the follow-up to the government’s Plan for Water, there was no significant progress reported, no additional funding and no action […]
15 Aug 2023
Investigation finds 90% of England’s most precious river habitats blighted in unfavourable condition
Observer investigation reveals the shocking state of the country’s protected freshwater sites of special scientific interest. More than 90% of freshwater habitats on England’s most precious rivers are in unfavourable condition, blighted by farming pollution, raw sewage and water abstraction, an Observer investigation reveals. None of the approximately 40 rivers with protected habitats in England […]
01 Aug 2023
Biodiversity credit prices
The government has published indicative guide prices and information on calculating costs for developers buying statutory credits. They start at £42,000 per credit for a low distinctiveness habitat, up to £650,000 for high distinctiveness habitats (lakes). Defra notes that buying statutory biodiversity credits is a last resort option for developers unable to use on-site or off-site units […]
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