Working Together 2024
Introduction
The current river basin management plans were published in December 2022. This consultation sets out the timetable on how we will work with you to review and update the current plans by the end of 2027. We are seeking your views on:
- how other plans and strategies affect, or are affected by, river basin management plans
- whether all relevant stakeholders have been identified
- how to help people contribute to the review and update of the river basin management plans
River basin management plans
River basin management plans establish legally binding, locally specific environmental objectives, forming the basis for water regulation and planning activities, and providing a foundation for economic development. These plans align with key initiatives like the water industry national environment programme (WINEP).
The river basin management plans serve as a focus for collective effort to protect and improve the water environment, underlining the shared responsibility of individuals, organisations and sectors like the water industry, agriculture, and transport. Unified action is needed to secure and enhance the water environment, with an emphasis on implementing existing measures and introducing new interventions.
More Information
The UK is divided into river basin districts and catchments for the purpose of river basin planning. A river basin district is a geographical area defined by the natural flow of water and its associated tributaries, streams, and rivers that ultimately drain into a common estuary or coastal water body as well as by groundwater. Each river basin district has a river basin management plan.
The Environment Agency is responsible for the review and update of the river basin management plans for the 6 river basin districts that fall entirely within England: Anglian, Humber, North West, South East, South West, and Thames.
The Environment Agency also leads on the review and update of the river basin management plans for the Severn and Northumbria River Basin Districts which lie partly in Wales and Scotland respectively.
Natural Resources Wales leads on the review and update of the plan for the Dee River Basin District.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency leads on the review and update of the plan for the Solway Tweed River Basin District.
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River basin districts don’t align to the political borders of England, Wales and Scotland. Joint working on cross border waters is therefore essential to ensure the water environment is protected and improved. The aim is to achieve this through collaborative working with all stakeholders and interested parties including land managers and local groups.
The information on how the water environment is managed and the organisations involved in this consultation relates to river basin planning in England. To find out how it is managed in Wales, visit National Resources Wales’s Working Together consultation on their website. You can view this consultation in English or Welsh (Gallwch gael mynediad uniongyrchol at y cyfieithiad Cymraeg ar y dudalen we Gweithio gyda’n Gilydd Gymraeg). This consultation launched on 29 May 2024 and will conclude 20 December 2024,
Visit the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency’s website to find out about the Statement of Consultation Steps proposed to update the Solway Tweed River Basin Management Plan.
More Information
The Environment Agency has developed the Catchment Data Explorer that helps you explore and download information about the water environment. The Catchment Data Explorer presents the data for, and comprises part of, the river basin management plans. You can find catchments and water bodies of interest using a map or searching by name. You can also view summary information about catchments produced in coordination with Catchment Partnerships and follow links to other useful sites.
Review of the water sector
The UK and Welsh governments have launched an independent commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe and supported by expert advisors, to recommend reforms to the water sector regulatory system. The review aims to build consensus for a resilient and innovative water sector and a robust wider regulatory framework that will:
- deliver long-term benefits
- restore rivers, lakes, and seas to good health
- provide a reliable and efficient water supply in a changing climate
- ultimately serve both customers and the environment
Once the commission has made recommendations, both governments will respond and consult on proposals, including potential legislation that may impact on the update to the river basin management plans.
The review will include the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 and the approach to river basin management planning, as well as the water system governance models which balance local, regional and national interests.
The commission will consult experts in the environment, public health, engineering, customers, investors and economics, reporting to the Secretary of State for Environment and Wales’s Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs in the first half of 2025.
The commission will launch a public call for evidence on attitudes and priorities for the water sector alongside further public engagement. Further details of this will be announced by the government in due course. You can view the Independent commission on the water sector regulatory system: terms of reference on the government’s website.