Fears over river restoration funding delays

Yahoo

14-03-2025

Delayed decisions about funding for river restoration projects could have serious implications, according to the body which oversees rivers trusts.
The Rivers Trust says its members face a constant battle to secure funding from the government and are hampered by bureaucracy throughout the application process.
One of them, the West Cumbria Rivers Trust (WCRT) said it was "in limbo" waiting for the Environment Agency (EA) to confirm funding which meant several small projects, which could be "easy wins", might not be delivered this year.
The EA said work to confirm any possible funding to the trust was "ongoing".
WCRT said schemes usually had to be carried out in the summer so even if funding was secured now, it might not be possible to find contractors in time.
One project affected involves the removal of a barrier to Atlantic salmon at the River Ellen, near the village of Ireby.
The trust is hoping to remove a bridge made out of concrete tubes which gets regularly blocked and stops the endangered fish trying to get upstream to spawn.
It also stops the free movement of gravel which creates habitats for insects that the salmon feed on.
Mark Hastings, a member of the Derwent Owners' Association, which is a representative body of the waterbody's fisheries, said many of the salmon in the river would die without the £20,000 project.
"[It] could save hundreds of salmon," he said.
Moreover, as each salmon lays thousands of eggs, the scheme had the potential, he said, "to "give the river a kick-start and the Atlantic salmon a chance".
WCRT assistant director Luke Bryant said the lack of funding confirmation from the EA for such projects made it feel like they were in a "bit of limbo".
"If we can't work in this summer it has to be delayed for another 12 months," he said.
"We need to tackle this problem now".
The Rivers Trust said the problem did not just affect Cumbria but all its 65 member charities across the country.
Chief executive Mark Lloyd said: "We really have to worry about this, this is a life support system for humanity."
An EA spokesman said its officers were "passionate and enthusiastic about improving our water environment".
He said there was a significant national "demand on the money".
"Our work to confirm what funding we can provide to these works is ongoing and we will confirm this to West Cumbria Rivers Trust and others as soon as we can."
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