EMMA HARDY: ‘Tide is popping on clear water’
‘My goal when I came into government was simple: I want people to be able to swim and paddle in their local waters with confidence’, the Water Minister Emma Hardy writes
As most of us rest after Christmas, thousands will be doing something far braver: plunging into freezing seas and rivers for the traditional Boxing Day swim.
During my visits to waterways around the country, I have been reminded time and again of the scale of the problem with our water we inherited. But this government continues to drive forward fundamental reform to create a system people can trust. Last month’s Environment Agency results showed that 93% of bathing waters meet standards for swimming – an encouraging improvement on last year.
When visiting a bathing water site in Nottingham, the regulars told me how they swim all year round – even if it means cracking ice in the middle of winter. We have begun to change the outdated bathing water monitoring rules so it’s more flexible and responsive to how and when people swim. In February, our Water (Special Measures) Act became law, delivering the toughest enforcement framework the sector has ever seen. It introduced criminal liability for water bosses who cover up illegal sewage spills, and the power to ban unfair bonuses – blocking £4 million in bonuses for ten water bosses this summer.
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We’re progressing plans to impose automatic penalties for water companies, so that the consequences for wrongdoing are swift and unavoidable. We increased the Environment Agency’s water regulation budget to £189 million for 2025/26 – the largest amount ever – and they are on track to deliver 10,000 inspections in 2025/26, a massive increase on previous years. This comes on top of a record 87 investigations into water companies.
This summer we doubled the minimum compensation rates and introduced compensation for boil notices for the first time. Protecting customers and businesses when they have been failed by their water company – such as the shocking disruption we saw in Tunbridge Wells earlier this month.
My goal when I came into government was simple: I want people to be able to swim and paddle in their local waters with confidence. We’ve secured £104 billion to upgrade vital infrastructure over the next five years. Our Water White Paper, due to be published in the New Year – will set out a pathway for long-term reform, including plans for a new single water regulator. Real progress is being made. The tide is beginning to turn. But there is more to do.
