Leigh MP defends vote in controversial Environmental Bill before Government U-turn

The Government came under fire over the past week after an amendment to the Environment Bill, which would have placed a legal duty on water companies not to pump sewage into rivers and seas was voted down by MPs.

However, the Government appeared to make a U-turned on this decision on Tuesday after receiving masses of criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties and constituents.

The Government had initially claimed the amendment would be too costly as a new national sewage system would have to be created to prevent sewers becoming overloaded during periods of heavy rainfall.

Without any restrictions, water companies would continue to be allowed to discharge raw sewage into rivers and coastal areas during such periods.

A sewage plant which discharges raw sewage into rivers and seas during heavy rainfall (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The Commons last week rejected a raft of changes made to the Bill by the upper chamber, including placing a new legal duty on water companies to “take all reasonable steps” to prevent sewage discharges – amid cost concerns over the initial Lords proposal.

Conservative Leigh MP Grundy was among MPs who voted against the changes.

However, mass criticism of the Government from environmental groups, opposition parties and constituents followed.

On Tuesday this week, the House of Lords, backed by a majority of 153 votes, produced a proposal to place a new legal duty on water companies to “take all reasonable steps” to prevent sewage discharges.

This enables the Environment Bill to now be sent back to the Commons where the Government will table its own amendment.

It will put a legal duty on the utility firms to “secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows”.

The concession came in the face of a further defeat in the House of Lords, amid a legislative tussle over the Bill, as the UK prepares to host the Cop26 global climate summit in Glasgow from October 31.

Sewage was discharged more than 400,000 times in our rivers and seas last year

Mr Grundy explained his decision on last week's vote to the Journal.

He said: “The unintended consequences of this poorly drafted amendment would be to inundate huge numbers of houses with raw sewage in times of heavy rainfall and flooding, without the ability of water companies to discharge sewage to protect homes in an emergency.

“Furthermore, to create a sewage system that could handle large floods without the emergency need to discharge sewage could potentially cost up to six hundred billion pounds, which, for context, is larger than the entire amount of money spent during the Covid crisis by the Government.

“As such, I was unable to vote for this amendment, which would have had devastating consequences for the families whose homes would have been regularly flooded with sewage, and all their possessions ruined, had this amendment passed.

“The Government is working to improve water quality in our rivers and seas, but the measures we take to deal with this issue should be both reasoned and proportionate.

“I would argue that flooding peoples' homes with raw sewage is neither reasonable nor proportionate, and I feel my constituents would strongly agree with me on this point.”

Following the climbdown, shadow environment secretary Luke Pollard accused the Government of making a “screeching U-turn”.

Enivornmentalist groups protested the Government's decision to vote down the Environment Bill amendment (Emily Whitfield-Wicks/PA)

However, environment minister Rebecca Pow denied a U-turn, insisting the Government is “totally committed” to protecting the environment and the seas via new legislation.

Speaking during an adjournment debate, Ms Pow told MPs: “We have now announced a legal duty on water companies to take action to reduce harm from overflows.”

The Bill seeks to write environmental principles in UK law for the first time, following Brexit.

It is currently in the parliamentary stage known as “ping-pong”, where a piece of legislation moves between the Commons and Lords until agreement can be reached.