A panel of experts including Water Minister Emma Hardy and one of Britain’s largest water companies is set to debate innovative nature-based ways to tackle the UK’s river crisis.
The panel will convene on Tuesday 24 September at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
The event is organised by charity The Rivers Trust.
Minister Hardy will speak alongside Lucy Rigby MP, Member of Parliament for Northampton North and Alex Mayer MP, Member of Parliament for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.
They sit alongside United Utilities Asset Management Director Jo Harrison and Country Land and Business Association President Victoria Vyvyan, along with The Rivers Trust’s Chief Executive Mark Lloyd.
The Rivers Trust believes there are actions Whitehall can take to facilitate fixing Britain’s rivers that won’t over-burden the taxpayer but will have huge benefits for our nation’s economy, wellbeing and resilience to droughts and floods.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust, said: “Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated the Government is focused on tackling a £21.9bn overspend this year, but that doesn’t need to stop them from meeting their statutory obligations to restore the health of our rivers and nature in general. Nature-based solutions can greatly improve our water environment without the financial strain or carbon burden of more traditional, engineered methods – and they provide countless other benefits besides.”
Often referred to as ‘Nature-based Solutions’ this catch all term refers to solutions such as sustainable drainage systems in cities, rain gardens and absorbent pavements, constructed or restored wetlands, healthy soils, new wet woodland, and buffer zones of scrub and trees along riverbanks.
All are extremely powerful – and cost-effective – tools for improving the state of our rivers. Their benefits reach much further, helping to build climate resilience by reducing the risk of floods or drought, improving biodiversity, and delivering health and wellbeing benefits for communities as well as providing ‘green’ jobs and attracting investment.
Mark Lloyd added: “The green economy is starting to take shape. Nature markets and green investments are developing, and we need government to take steps to speed up and unblock the opportunities with the right regional governance structures, measures to develop confidence in the markets, and evolution of the stacking and bundling of payments to farmers to deliver multiple nature benefits.
“The environment sector has the brains and the bodies ready to deliver real value for the environment and the public purse. In Liverpool this month, we will be looking for Ministers to set out a plan to rescue Britain’s rivers and wildlife, which can be done without breaking the bank.”
