Minister unveils plans for new Water Bill

As a member of the Clean Water Sports Alliance, British Rowing welcomes the announcement of the new Water (Special Measures) Bill by the Secretary of State for Defra, Steve Reed OBE MP

At an event hosted at Thames Rowing Club on 5 September 2024, the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Steve Reed OBE MP, announced plans for a new Water (Special Measures) Bill. The new legislation, which will apply in England and Wales will give increased power to regulators to tackle companies who pollute and make it easier for them to get fined.

The Clean Water Sports Alliance welcomes the announcement of the new Bill and also the promise of further reform. The Clean Water Sports Alliance of seven sports national governing bodies has been strongly advocating for the water regulator to be properly resourced to be able to properly hold polluters to account. Under the plans announced, the cap on fines is too be lifted and that money invested back into environmental improvement.

The measures set out in the new Bill today will also ban water company bosses from receiving bonuses following poor performance, and even threaten prison sentences.

While the Alliance welcomes these new powers, we feel it is essential that the Environment Agency has the funding and resources to be able to uphold existing laws, whilst increasing testing and investigating breaches of the law fully.

Also set out in the new Bill, is an intention for independent monitoring of all outlets, in real time, with data open and accessible to all. Access to accurate, real time data is one of the Clean Water Sports Alliance’s top three priorities.

While some progress has been made through the publishing of water company discharge maps, we welcome all moves towards greater transparency and availability of data as a means of enabling our communities to make informed decisions.

In his speech, the Secretary of State promised to undertake a full review to of the water sector and to introduce ‘radical new reform’.

To date, the needs of recreational blue space users has largely been absent in policy making. It is hoped that choosing a rowing club as the venue for the Secretary of State’s speech indicates that the need to protect human health will be fully considered.

The Alliance sees the plans as a positive first step in addressing our broken water sector. British Rowing Chief Executive Alastair Marks said, “British Rowing welcomes the new Water Bill that was announced at Thames Rowing Club, particularly the inclusion of protecting public health and the wide consultation promised in anticpation of the water sector being fundamentally reformed. This will enable our rowers to enjoy the sport they love with confidence on clean waters.”