Give the Environment Agency the funds and freedom to protect English rivers

The Government must reverse years of cuts to Agency budgets, increase charges for polluters, and give the Agency freedom from overly business-friendly Government codes and guidance, so it can pursue and achieve its principal statutory objective to protect and enhance English rivers

Over 10% of freshwater species are threatened with extinction and two thirds are in decline, including salmon. Only 14% of rivers are at good ecological status. 26% of groundwater bodies are at poor status. 40% of rivers suffer pollution from rural areas. Pollution incidents, caused by agriculture and water companies, occur routinely with almost no response from the Agency. Too little monitoring, inspection, enforcement and prosecution of existing pollution law.

We are determined to build back greener following the pandemic and progress our 25 Year Environment Plan and its commitment to clean and plentiful water.

The Government recognises the importance of protecting the nation's natural environment and we are investing accordingly.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Spending Review settlement provides a £4.3 billion cash increase over the rest of this Parliament to £7 billion in 2024-25.

The settlement will allow us to deliver on the Government’s ambitious environmental agenda to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, achieve Net Zero by 2050, increase resilience to flooding and coastal erosion, support innovation and progress the levelling up agenda.

The settlement delivers against the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan for nature’s recovery and includes more than £250 million in public investment over three years to include, among other things, tackling nutrient pollution in rivers and streams.

The Spending Review 2021 also sets a stretching new target to raise at least £500 million in private finance for nature’s recovery every year by 2027 and more than £1 billion a year by 2030.

The Government has taken powers in the Environment Act 2021 to create new, legally-binding targets in four priority areas including water. These new targets will be an important mechanism to drive environmental improvement and meet our ambitious objectives for the water environment in the 25 Year Environment Plan.

The Act places clear duties on water and sewerage companies to progressively reduce the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows and improve transparency of reporting when discharges occur.