Latest news with #SteveReed
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Natural England boss reveals concern over budget for nature restoration
The head of the Government's official environment advisors said he is 'concerned' over the budget for nature restoration ahead of the upcoming spending review. Tony Juniper, chairman of Natural England, said the 'very tight' spending settlement expected in light of current economic stresses will pose 'big challenges' for those working to reverse the country's decline in nature. Environment Secretary Steve Reed is understood to have settled the department's budget for the next three years with the Treasury on Thursday. It comes ahead of Rachel Reeves announcing her first multi-year spending review settlement as Chancellor on June 11. The Government has recently come under fierce criticism from environmentalists over proposed changes to nature protections in the planning bill and recent reports that the budget for nature-friendly farming would be slashed. Speaking to the PA news agency on Friday, Mr Juniper said: 'I am concerned about the budget side in particular because the job that we need to do is very significant.' The Natural England chairman cited the levels of ambition in Government nature targets such as committing to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 – known as 30×30. 'We will work within the envelope that we have, recognising the country does face very serious economic stresses at the moment,' he said. 'But it does concern me naturally in terms of the scale of the task ahead and what we need to do.' Mr Juniper outlined some 'remedies' to receiving limited resources, such as working at a more strategic scale to increase impact and working in partnerships with land managers, statutory bodies and local government. Natural England will continue to highlight the extent to which nature will help the country meet multiple goals, including food production, infrastructure and housing, he later added. 'Obviously if we are going to achieve the goals that we need, it is going to be really, really important to move beyond the framing of nature being a block to economic development, and seeing that nature is essential for economic development,' he said. Green groups recently hit out at the Chancellor for 'leading an ideological charge against nature' after she suggested some nature protections are a blocker to development. Asked about the criticism, he said: 'I can't really comment on that. I would say that nature is essential for the country's economic and social wellbeing, and we have evidence to prove that. 'We have a lot of evidence to confirm how nature is really a minor factor in limiting the ambitions we have to renew our infrastructure and build houses.' His comments came as Natural England declared 800 hectares of north Kent a national nature reserve, which means different stakeholders work together on conservation and restoration efforts across the landscape. Speaking from the new North Kent Woods and Downs national nature reserve on Friday, he said: 'We are in one of the most pressured parts of England. 'So being able to blend this significant area of nature protection and nature recovery into a landscape that's going to be receiving tens of thousands of more houses, plus major infrastructure in the form of the Lower Thames Crossing, this is a great example – not only of nature recovery – but also doing that in the context of these other essential demands that the country is placing on the land.' Nature minister Mary Creagh told stakeholders at the launch event in Shorne Wood Country Park: 'Nature is at the core of what we're doing.' Later asked Mr Juniper's concerns over the budget, she told the PA news agency: 'I understand (the) Secretary of State settled yesterday. 'So we won't comment on speculation but I'm confident that we will have the resources we need to reach our targets.' Ms Creagh denied the Government has been prioritising other areas at the expense of the natural environment. 'Look at our actions,' she said, citing announcements of the first National Forest in more than 30 years, the first wild beaver release in over 400 years, mapping every single tree in the landscape and getting the biggest ever nature-friendly farming budget out the door to farmers. 'This is about opening up a conversation and making sure, for example, on reservoirs, that we have the drinking water that the nation needs, that we have the housing that the nation needs, but at the same time protecting and restoring 30% of land and seas by 2030,' she said. 'We're always keen to work with environmental groups, and we're always keen to get things right so where there are criticisms, we will listen.' On the new national nature reserve, she said: 'This is all about bringing people closer to nature, and that's one of the guiding missions of this Government – is to make sure that people living in urban areas have access to really high-quality green space and nature, rich and wildlife, rich spaces right on their doorstep.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Government steps in to deliver new reservoirs amid water supply concerns
The Government has stepped in to take control of the planning process for two major new reservoirs, as it warns UK water supplies are under threat. Environment Secretary Steve Reed has designated two new reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire as 'nationally significant', escalating them from local planning to central Government. The move aims to streamline and fast-track the delivery of the two new reservoirs, the first for more than 30 years, to improve water resources for more than three quarters of a million homes in some of England's most water-stressed areas and unlock the building of new homes. The Government also says it will legislate so that major reservoirs will automatically be designated as 'nationally significant' to make it easier to get them built and secure future water supplies. Officials warn that, without action to build new reservoirs, rapid population growth, crumbling assets and a warming climate mean demand for drinking water could outstrip supply by the middle of the next decade. A lack of water supplies is also holding back the construction of thousands of homes in parts of the country such as Cambridge, they warn. The two reservoirs which have been designated as nationally significant are being proposed by Anglian Water, which wants to build the Lincolnshire reservoir south of Sleaford and is partnering with Cambridge Water for the Fens Reservoir between Chatteris and March in Cambridgeshire. Under the plans, the Lincolnshire reservoir, which would provide up to 166 million litres a day for up to 500,000 homes, would be completed by 2040 and the Fens Reservoir, supplying 87 million litres a day to 250,000 homes in the driest region of the UK, would be completed by 2036. Both projects will now progress to the consultation phase, gathering views from communities and stakeholders, the Government said. Water companies across England have committed to bringing nine new reservoirs online by 2050, in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands and Somerset, with the potential to supply 670 million litres of extra water per day. Water Minister Emma Hardy said the Government was 'intervening in the national interest and slashing red tape to make the planning process faster to unblock nine new reservoirs'. She said it would secure water supply for future generations and unlock the building of thousands of homes.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
UK sees sunniest spring on record as drought declared in northwest England
The UK experienced its sunniest spring since records began in 1910, with 630 hours of sunshine between March 1 and May 27, a significant increase from 377 hours last year. A drought has been officially declared in North West England by the Environment Agency, due to the low levels of rivers and reservoirs which are currently at less than 60% capacity. Prior to recent rainfall, North West and North East England had both seen their driest start to a calendar year since 1929, while England had its driest February to April since 1956. England experienced its wettest 12 months on record between October 2023 and September 2024, leading to widespread flooding before the current dry spell. Environment Secretary Steve Reed has seized central government control over two major reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, amid concerns that water demand could exceed supply by the mid-2030s without new reservoirs.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Reservoir plans fast-tracked as we could run out of water 'in next decade'
The Environment Agency has predicted a shortfall of almost five billion litres a day by 2050 as drier summers caused by the climate crisis has put the country at risk Without any new reservoirs parts of the UK would have been forced to experience extreme rationing to ensure there was enough drinking water, the government has warned. Emma Hardy, the minister for water and flooding, said that without the action the government is taking, the South East and East Anglia would have been under serious risk of water scarcity by 'the middle of the next decade', requiring Mediterranean-style rationing to ensure people had enough drinking water. The lack of reservoir capacity, combined with a rising population and drier summers caused by climate breakdown, has put the country at risk of water shortages. She added that years of underinvestment had left the country at risk of seasonal shortages, hosepipe bans and an inadequate supply of clean drinking water. The minister has announced the fast track construction of two new reservoirs, with another seven to come before 2050, after a three-decade period in which none were built. Work has already started on Havant Thicket reservoir in Hampshire, which is expected to be completed in the early 2030s. She said: 'The alternative is, you know, carry on as we have in the last 14 years. Do nothing. Let nothing happen. No reservoirs being built... And what do we end up with? A situation of rationing, more hosepipe bans, the situation that we see happening in different countries in the Mediterranean… I'm not prepared to let that happen under my watch.' Persistent drought in Sicily last summer meant the water supply was turned on only once a week. Residents were told not to wash their clothes and to flush their toilets only infrequently. Experts warned in recent weeks of an impending UK drought this summer if there was not significant rainfall soon, with some reservoirs in the north of the country at worryingly low levels. The environment minister, Steve Reed, confirmed he has awarded the status of 'nationally significant' to two new reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire and ordered they go ahead. These will be the first to be built since 1992. The government said this would shore up water resources for more than 750,000 homes in England's most water-stressed areas. Without more capacity, the UK will be at risk of running out of water in the medium term. The Environment Agency has predicted a shortfall of almost five billion litres a day by 2050. Water Minister Emma Hardy said: 'We are backing the builders not the blockers, intervening in the national interest and slashing red tape to make the planning process faster to unblock nine new reservoirs... This Government will secure our water supply for future generations and unlock the building of thousands of homes as part of the Plan for Change." Anglian Water is proposing to build the Lincolnshire Reservoir to the south of Sleaford, aiming to be operational by 2040. The firm has also partnered with Cambridge Water to propose the Fens Reservoir, located between the towns of Chatteris and March, set to be completed in 2036. The Lincolnshire Reservoir would provide up to 166 million litres of water per day for up to 500,000 homes – that is the equivalent of more than 664 million cups of tea per day. The Fens would supply a much needed 87 million litres to 250,000 homes in the driest region of the UK. Both projects will now progress to the consultation phase, where developers gather views from communities and stakeholders. Water companies have committed to bring nine new reservoirs online by 2050, in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Kent, East Sussex and the West Midlands and Somerset. These reservoirs alone have the potential to provide 670 million litres of extra water per day. The water industry has also welcomed the announcement. "It's absolutely critical that we build these reservoirs now," David Henderson, chief executive of Water UK. "If we don't build them now, we wait another 10 years, it's going to cost even more, so we can't keep kicking the can down the road any longer." Some experts warn that managing how we use water needs to take greater precedence in a warming climate. "We need a complete overhaul of the way we use water, to plug leaks, cut down on waste and store water where it falls as rain," said Prof Hannah Cloke of the University of Reading. "It would be better to make more difficult decisions around regulation of new building, as well as retrofitting older homes and businesses, to cut waste and recycle water where it is used, rather than pumping water across huge distances."
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
UK sees sunniest spring on record as drought declared in England
The UK experienced its sunniest spring since records began in 1910, with 630 hours of sunshine between March 1 and May 27, a significant increase from 377 hours last year. A drought has been officially declared in North West England by the Environment Agency, due to the low levels of rivers and reservoirs which are currently at less than 60% capacity. Prior to recent rainfall, North West and North East England had both seen their driest start to a calendar year since 1929, while England had its driest February to April since 1956. England experienced its wettest 12 months on record between October 2023 and September 2024, leading to widespread flooding before the current dry spell. Environment Secretary Steve Reed has seized central government control over two major reservoir projects in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, amid concerns that water demand could exceed supply by the mid-2030s without new reservoirs.
