Budget Hike For Environment Agency, Govt Confirms

While we’re certainly starting to feel the effects of climate change these days, the facts surrounding global warming have been known – and the alarm sounded – for decades… which is why it may be confusing to discover that between 2010 and 2022, Environment Agency funding was cut by 50 per cent.

The agency itself is responsible for industry and waste regulation, contaminated land treatment, water quality and quantity, fisheries, conservation and ecology, and inland, river and estuary harbour navigation, but it has come under fire in recent years for failing to improve air quality and biodiversity, as well as tackling water pollution and regulating both farms and sewage works because of this chronic underfunding.

However, there may now be light at the end of the tunnel for the organisation, as the government has just confirmed that the biggest ever budget for tackling water pollution has just been made available to the water watchdog.

Cash injection

The Environment Agency is due to receive funding of more than £189 million this financial year, which will go towards hiring more enforcement officers, investing in the latest technology and improving equipment.

In 2025, it will conduct over 10,000 inspections of water company assets – and it has already been successful in launching 81 criminal investigations into pollution incidents since July last year.

This funding hike of 64 per cent on 2023/2024 levels is being delivered via charges paid by water companies rather than from taxpayers, so the polluter will foot the bill of regulating the sector more effectively rather than the public purse.

Furthermore, tough efficiency targets have been agreed upon to ensure that the funding is going towards frontline delivery and enforcement, with efficiency savings of more than £23 million already achieved.

And a new levy on the water sector is under consultation, which will allow the agency to recover enforcement activity costs in the water sector, as set out in the Water (Special Measures) Act. This aims to make it easier for the agency to take enforcement action when necessary.

Steve Reed, environment secretary, said: “The public are furious about sewage pollution in our rivers, lakes and seas. This government is cleaning them up, including the biggest boost to enforcement in a decade paid for by the water companies responsible for it.

“Our changes give the water watchdog the resources they need to tackle pollution – increasing funding by 64 per cent. We’re cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas for good, all part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Water pollution crackdown

Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, any water company executives found to have covered up illegal sewage spills could be handed down jail terms of up to two years, a move deemed necessary because some firms have been found to be obstructing investigations, as well as failing to deliver the requisite evidence relating to such discharges.

Polluters will also be forced to pay for the cost of criminal investigations into illegal sewage discharges and cover-ups, and executive bonus payments will also be banned if standards to protect the environment, customers and company finances are not met.

Such steps, while no doubt strong, certainly seem necessary, given figures from the Environment Agency itself showing that more than 6,000 sewage discharges took place in just one single month across England, Scotland and Wales in 2024.

Furthermore, figures also show that out of the 451 protected bathing spots in England, 37 are now rated as poor, with unsafe levels of potentially deadly bacteria that are directly linked to sewage spills.

How can businesses protect water quality?

The level to which your business is able to protect water quality will largely depend on the industry you’re in. Farmers, for example, will need to make sure that animal waste and agricultural runoff are both managed appropriately in order to prevent nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.

However, every business no matter what sector they’re in will be able to make some sort of difference to both water quality and water quantity, so it’s worth investigating to see what can be achieved in this regard.

Water conservation measures such as rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse and water leak detection can help shore up supplies, while waste management of materials like oils, chemicals and other such pollutants can help preserve water quality.

However, it can be quite a minefield if you’re not sure where to begin – so why not get in touch with the SwitchWaterSupplier.com team to see how we can help you improve the water footprint of your business this year?