In a recent Westminster Hall debate on river habitats I spoke about something that matters to me and to many of my constituents, the protection and restoration of our rivers.
There is now broad agreement across Parliament that the health of our rivers must improve. Rivers and streams are the veins and arteries of our natural environment, supporting wildlife, agriculture and communities. They should be a source of pride, not anxiety or decline.
I welcomed the contributions from colleagues across the House. While we may disagree on some of the solutions, there is shared recognition that rivers are remarkable ecosystems and that when water companies break the law, they must be punished swiftly and severely.
Where I part company with some opposition voices is on the lack of honesty about costs. Calls for radical change, including renationalisation of the water industry, are easy to make, but far harder to explain. If assets are to be taken into public ownership, who pays, how much, and at what cost to taxpayers. Those questions cannot simply be brushed aside.
Closer to home, the River Parrett flows through my constituency. At the time of the debate, it was rather too high for comfort. Some residents were watching water levels rise with real concern. The Parrett is not just a flood risk, it is also a rich natural habitat, home to heron, eels and, if you are lucky, even otters. It also supports the wider ecosystem of the Somerset Levels, including roe deer that many of us treasure.
Shortly after being elected, I was proud to support a local campaign to protect Pawlett Hams, a beautiful natural habitat bounded on three sides by the Parrett. That campaign successfully defeated proposals for an unwanted salt marsh, and it reminded me just how passionately people care about the landscapes and waterways around them.
There has been progress in recent years. Legally binding targets were introduced to reduce pollution from agriculture and wastewater, monitoring of storm overflows increased from just 7% in 2010 to 100% today, and environmental fines were redirected into river restoration. That progress has helped us understand the true scale of the problem, but it is clear that much more remains to be done.
I also raised concerns about invasive species, which have more than doubled in number over recent decades, and about the condition of our canals, following recent infrastructure failures. These too are part of the wider picture of water management and environmental stewardship.
Britain’s rivers and waterways are an integral part of our environment. It is important that we improve their quality, and I will scrutinise the Government to ensure that they keep the promises they made at the election.
