Now in its 3rd year, the UK River Summit and Festival at Morden Hall is an independent event that brings together environmental leaders, policymakers, scientists, activists, and community members to discuss and develop solutions for the critical challenges facing the UK’s rivers. Past Master Peter Hall represented the Company.
The summit featured a series of panels, workshops, and networking opportunities that hope to inspire and empower participants to take collective action towards the conservation and restoration of river ecosystems. The event is also a celebration of culture and introduces the public and stakeholders to the world of art, film, food and history, all celebrating rivers.
The first workshop assessed the current state of the water industry with speakers from regulators – and campaigners who argued that the public had been kept in the dark about the true state of the water companies, and that things were done better elsewhere in the UK. There was a strong grass roots pressure for nationalisation, without realising the implications (especially on investment) which had led to privatisation in the first place. The discussion was limited by the paucity of factual information. Regulators reminded the audience that the below inflation price rises over the decade had led to difficult decisions for water companies, and regulators themselves, who had seen cut backs in staffing levels.
This was followed by a presentation by Emma Hardy MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DEFRA, who explained that the Government had taken a number of steps to deal with some acute problems but, in its determination to get a fundamental change right, they had commissioned a series of studies, crucially The Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, which is reviewing the water sector regulatory system in England and Wales. The review is expected in the coming weeks and the Government is expected to produce a short response, before further consultation on some of the details.
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