Population change means that even if climate change were not a factor, the pressure on our water system would only mount. As things stand, no new reservoirs are expected to be built before the late 2030s.
No one’s disputing that building or expanding reservoirs is the right call but taking projects that have been in the works for years and re-branding them as ‘new’ doesn’t help anyone.
Environment Secretary claims that “water bosses have got away with paying themselves tens of millions in bonuses for overseeing catastrophic failure”.
Sewage is only part of the problem in our rivers. Rivers like the Wharfe also face increasing pressure from chemicals, microplastics, and runoff from roads and fields.
We have seen a long list of these bodies let people down, with hapless ministers then held to account for their failings.
Since privatisation, productivity is up 64 per cent, costs down 27 per cent, and bills £120 lower than they would otherwise have been. £190 billion has been invested since 1989.
Water is not currently tested between September and May, when tourism is still strong in Devon. Inaccurate information about water quality is deterring swimmers and surfers from taking the plunge and hurting the local economy.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats will continue to beat us with the ‘sewage stick’ unless we seize the initiative and take our communities with us. That is exactly what I have done in Southend.
By prioritizing data collection, enacting relevant policies, and mandating decisive actions, significant strides have been made in safeguarding and enhancing England’s water resources.
If we are to expect an army of industrious self-taught volunteers to be the first line of defence to mitigate environmental extremes, the least we could do is provide them with the resources to fix the problem whilst the sun is (literally) shining.
There is simply no good reason to suppose that public ownership would lead to better management and higher investment when historically it has produced the opposite.
In my area, ill-judged EU rules have helped see all development blocked for nine years, exacerbating the housing crisis whilst doing little to actually protect the environment.
Making Cambridge a global science city needs to be a cross-governmental mission, rather than one left just to the housing department
Our deputy editor joins the Institute for Government to talk about Thames Water, Net Zero, and Boris Johnson’s new column.
Government by ‘good vibes’ creates what might be called a Samaritan’s Dilemma of the State: endless acts of well-intentioned protection that cumulatively trap the very people and businesses they were meant to help.