Energy department unscathed by reshuffle – but new faces at Defra

The Department of Energy and Climate Change escaped unscathed from Downing Street’s reshuffle yesterday. With the ever-changing line-up of ministers at DECC a common complaint in the energy sector, there will be sighs of relief to see the same team installed. Energy Secretary Ed Davey’s position was fairly secure as a Lib Dem in the […]

Thames Water boosts bills to pay for “super sewer”

Thames Water could boost its bills by as much as £80 a year to pay for a four billion pound super sewer in London. The water provider which operates 66,500 miles of sewer is said to have warned its wastewater customers – it has around 14 million of these – by leaflets about the rise. […]

London’s recycled sewage to keep Olympics green

Olympic athletes are now flushing their loos with water sent to London’s sewers hours earlier by local residents in a bid to keep the Games green. A water recycling plant at the Olympic Park in Stratford turns north Londoners’ sewage into non-drinking water which is used for flushing toilets and watering plants at the site. […]

DEFRA hunting water bill dodgers

Water bills are on average £15 higher than they should be. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says those who dodge paying are forcing up bills for those that do pay them. The level of outstanding revenue from domestic water customers in the UK was over £1.6 billion in 2010-11, according to DEFRA. […]

Businesses to get more choice over their water supplier

The Government is expected to announce changes to legislation that could mean more businesses around the country will be able to find a better deal for their water supply. Currently, only businesses that use more than fifty megalitres of water a year can switch from their existing water supplier to a new one. The plans […]

London narrowly avoids EU air quality fine

London has narrowly avoided a huge fine for breaching EU rules on air pollution. A letter from the European Commission, released by Defra through a Freedom of Information request, revealed the near miss.Campaigners worry the UK could still have to pay millions if London fails air quality levels again. EU laws restrict two types of […]

Environmental committee to scrutinise Localism Bill

The Environmental Audit Committee will this afternoon hold a one-off evidence session on the government’s Localism Bill. The session will specifically focus on whether the Bill should include a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ and how this should be defined. This ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ was part of the coalition’s proposal to […]

Government announces water White Paper

The government has revealed it is to publish a White Paper on water. Richard Benyon, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries, made the announcement at the Future Water 2010 conference in London. He said that now “is the right time for a water White Paper to provide a steer for the industry and […]