Chichester Harbour Trust welcomes the government’s recent Water (Special Measures) Bill, aimed at addressing the failing water quality of our rivers and coasts, but argues the Bill doesn’t go anywhere near far enough.
This new legislation is designed to give regulators additional powers to crack down on water companies that are damaging the environment. It includes increasing the ability of the Environment Agency to bring criminal charges against law-breaking water executives when they fail to co-operate or obstruct investigations, and bans the payment of bonuses to water bosses if they fail to meet the required standards in protecting the environment and consumers.
While these changes are to be welcomed, we believe the Bill does not go anywhere near far enough to address the challenges facing water treatment and regulation; what is needed is a costed commitment to substantial investment in sewerage infrastructure over the term of this Parliament and beyond. As the Chichester Local Plan makes clear, all of the sewerage treatment works which feed into Chichester Harbour are already beyond full capacity. The same is true of plants all across the nation. Water regulation needs reform to allow water companies to catch up on water treatment capacity investment, which is probably 15 to 20 years’ behind. Currently, there isn’t the capacity to keep up with existing demand, and certainly not a system fit for the future.
When we met with Steve Reed MP (the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) earlier this year, we impressed upon him the need for a complete overhaul of the regulatory system, including capital investment incentives, a ban on thin capitalisation, and the revision of pricing structures. We also recommended special administration for failing companies, a complete review of permit levels for waste water discharges, and proper funding of monitoring and enforcement by the regulators.
Locally, Chichester Harbour Trust has continued to support initiatives to deliver better water quality for Chichester Harbour through the ongoing Chichester Harbour Action Summit in partnership with Chichester Harbour Conservancy. The Summit, involving all the key organisations involved in Chichester Harbour, takes place later this month to review the progress made by Southern Water, the Environment Agency, Ofwat and others in reversing the decline of our harbour’s special environment.
Nick Backhouse, Chairman of the Trust said: “We welcome this new Water Bill but it doesn’t go anywhere near far enough to solve our water quality crisis and help reverse the decline in our rivers, harbours and seas. We urge the Government to act swiftly to bring forward the so-critically needed investment in sewerage infrastructure.”
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