Newspaper column 20 January 2022 - Cleaning up our rivers

I can’t start this week’s column without touching on the numerous allegations around breaches in lockdown law at Number Ten Downing Street. I am thoroughly disappointed by such behaviour and can completely understand peoples’ legitimate anger and upset over these reports. The Prime Minister has done the right thing by apologising and I believe there needs to be a change of culture at No.10. I believe No.10 staff should have a degree of ‘real life experience’. That being said I will base my final opinion on this issue off the outcome of the independent investigation that is being carried out into these matters, and not on pieces of information apparently being drip-fed to a hostile media by a disgruntled former employee with an axe to grind."

As ever, I prefer to keep my focus on local matters, my service to you the people of Truro and Falmouth, and will be continuing my work on your behalf, which among other things has seen since my election, confirmation of a new women and children hospital in Truro, securing the money to progress with the plans to dual the A30 between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross roundabouts, work which is now under way, and securing over £162m for various projects in our constituency, including Towns Fund money for Truro, funding for schools and tackling homelessness in Falmouth. It is my priority to continue to bring investment into Cornwall in order to improve the lives of my constituents.

Keeping our inland waterways, such as the Fal, clean continues to be a major goal to work towards and is one of the reasons I joined the influential Environmental Audit Select Committee in Parliament, a cross party group of MPs who work to consider the extent to which the policies and programmes of government departments and non-departmental public bodies contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development, and to audit their performance against sustainable development and environmental protection targets.

Last week I was pleased to see the release of a report from this committee that I have worked on, about the water quality in rivers. Getting a complete overview of the health of our rivers and the pollution affecting them is hampered by outdated, underfunded and inadequate monitoring regimes. It is clear, however, that rivers in England are in a mess.

Cleaning up our rivers is important for public health and vital to protect wildlife. The world is experiencing an extinction crisis and freshwater eco-systems are on the frontline. The build-up of excess nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen from animal waste and sewage is reducing oxygen levels in rivers and in severe cases can cause fish kills.

The report, which I wholly endorse, says that a step change in regulatory action, water company investment, and cross-catchment collaboration with farmers and drainage authorities is urgently required to restore rivers to good ecological health, protect biodiversity and adapt to a changing climate. Investment must be accelerated so that damaging discharges from water treatment assets including storm overflows cease and that any spills occur only in genuinely exceptional circumstances. Financial penalties for pollution incidents and misreporting must be set at a level that puts the issue on the agenda in water company board rooms.

To deliver real change and improve the state of our rivers, a wide range of stakeholders must come together including the Government, regulators and water companies. The Environment Act, which I sat on the Bill Committee for, signalled the first welcome sign of political will to tackle this issue from many governments of all political persuasions. I look forward on working with colleagues locally and nationally, to answer the calls from this Bill and build on the Environment Act to clean our rivers and waterways up, improving them for all.

As ever, if you need my assistance with anything then my team and I are here to help. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk , or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular constituency advice surgeries are held in a covid-safe environment at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.