The Rivers Trust has welcomed the expected inclusion of the Water Reform Bill in the King’s Speech, describing it as a significant step towards reforming a system it says has failed communities and the environment for decades.
The King’s Speech on May 13 is due to include the Water Reform Bill, which the Government is calling the biggest overhaul of the water system in a generation.
However, The Rivers Trust has warned that the promise of new legislation must not be used as a reason to delay urgent action to protect and restore rivers now.
Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, said: “The King’s Speech marks a significant moment for the water environment and a step towards changing a system that has failed communities and the environment for decades. We hope to see a future where water is managed much more effectively, taking account of the many factors that impact waterways.
“We want to see polluters paying for the damage they cause, and all those who benefit contributing to the restoration of resilient rivers and catchments.”
The Rivers Trust has been calling for a radical transformation in how water is managed for several years. It is championing a long-term, catchment-based approach that tackles pollution at source, gives nature space to thrive, and makes rivers more resilient to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather.
The review of the water sector led by Sir Jon Cunliffe contained a comprehensive set of recommendations which, The Rivers Trust says, would vastly improve the water environment if embraced fully. However, the charity also stressed that significant legislation already exists which, if fully enacted, would improve the state of rivers.
Mark Lloyd added: “Water reform is desperately needed, but this new law must not be used as a reason to delay action or hold off from enforcing existing laws as it completes its passage through parliament.”
The Rivers Trust also raised concern that none of the parliamentary debates scheduled for the day of the King’s Speech are focused on the environment, adding to its long-running concerns that nature is being disregarded in the process of reform and in the Government’s wider push for economic growth.
Mark Lloyd said: “The environment has been a theme of monarch’s speeches in past years. Taking it out only adds to our long-running concern about the government’s anti-nature rhetoric as it chases economic growth.
“A healthy environment is at the heart of thriving communities and the economy and must be a core priority of water reform.”
The Rivers Trust says a healthy natural environment is fundamental to a thriving economy and society, and that urgent action to protect rivers must continue alongside the development of any new laws.
