Notices of Motion referred from Council on the release of untreated sewage into our rivers and water courses and on South West Water Sewage Spills.
Notice of Motion presented by Cllr Cox referred from Full Council on Tuesday, 23rd April, 2024– update on progress
South West Water Sewage Spills
Recognising the importance of Teignbridge’s coasts and rivers to our area’s outstanding natural environment, the intrinsic aesthetic, cultural, value of this to our residents, and considering the substantial contribution that these natural assets make to our local economy via tourism, Teignbridge District Council, note the widespread concern among Teignbridge residents regarding the state of our local and national sewage infrastructure.
Teignbridge District Council finds the significant increase of 55% of sewage spills by South West Water last year a totally unacceptable behaviour requiring curtailment. (Data released by the Environment Agency has shown that South West Water, which covers Devon, discharged sewage a staggering 582,49 times last year, a 55% rise compared to in 2022).
Noting that central Government funding for the Environment Agency and OFWAT, the relevant regulatory authorities, had been cut in real terms between 2009/10 and 2021/22, and conscious of the need for Teignbridge District Council to address these issues on account of its responsibilities to the environment, environmental health, and as the Local Planning Authority, while noting with frustration that all most all legal powers of investigation and enforcement are reserved to central government and under-funded, under-staffed statutory regulators:
1. Teignbridge District Council declares that it has no confidence in South West Water’s existing systems and processes for managing and investing in Teignbridge’s sewage infrastructure;
2. Teignbridge District Council believes continual Government underfunding has reduced the regulators the Environment Agency and OFWAT to a toothless tiger.
3. Teignbridge District Council requests that the Leader write to the Chief Executive of South West Water to invite the company to:
a. Commit to involving the District Council in discussions with Town and Parish Councils regarding ongoing and upcoming works on South West Water infrastructure,
b. Jointly convene a regular liaison group bringing together senior staff from South West Water and Teignbridge District Council, together with relevant Teignbridge Executive members and their shadows, to proactively monitor and respond to ongoing developments and issues,
c. Proactively and transparently engage with Teignbridge District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning and his/her shadows
d. Commit to working with Teignbridge District Council’s Planning officers to help manage development pressures on infrastructure and respond to community concerns, to responding to requests for consultation and providing relevant data, to accepting invitations to Planning Committee meetings to discuss applications whenever possible, and taking other relevant steps,
e. Actively engage with Teignbridge District Council’s Resorts Team and Environmental Health team to proactively advise of overflow discharges in the interest of public safety;
4. Additionally, we request that the Leader copy correspondence to our local MPs to encourage them to support our efforts to engage South West Water, and to lobby government to:
a. Revisit weak legislation allowing water companies until 2038 to reduce phosphate pollution in rivers from sewage overflows by only 80%, with a view to requiring more immediate action in the short- ... view the full agenda text for item 55
Additional documents:
Minutes:
It was agreed that both Notices of Motion on sewage spillage would be taken together.
Cllr Macgregor spoke on his Notice of Motion.
Cllr Cox spoke on his Notice of Motion.
It was acknowledged that South West Water representatives would be attending Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 16 July 2024 and Planning Committee on 23 July 2024.
RESOLVED that the Leader write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government and the Local Member of Parliament expressing the serious concern that the release of untreated sewage into rivers and water and to seek their intervention to insist on immediate infrastructure investment by South West Water to address this.