Selaine Saxby is MP for North Devon.
As a Conservative, I care deeply about environmental stewardship. I firmly believe that there is nothing more conservative than protecting our green and pleasant lands and leaving the planet to our children in a better condition.
Our record on the environment is one to be proud of. We have decarbonised faster than any other G7 country and are now halfway to net zero, an objective we’ve enshrined into law. Since 2010, we have unlocked hundreds of thousands of green jobs; passed landmark legislation, such as the Environment Act 2021; and built the first, second, third, and fourth-largest offshore wind farms in the world.
I have seen first hand the benefits that careful stewardship of the environment can bring.
As the Member of Parliament for North Devon, I am lucky to represent one of the most beautiful areas in England, which received 14 Blue Flag beach awards last year for having the finest and cleanest beaches. We are blessed to be coastal, with quick and easy access to quality waters, something hundreds of thousands of tourists enjoy year on year.
These people come from afar every year to surf and swim, supporting our local hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, high streets, pubs and restaurants. As a result, tourism is a cornerstone of Devon’s local economy, boosting opportunity and prosperity by generating, on average, £229 million a year.
However, as we mark English Tourism Week this week, we should remember that a thriving tourism industry relies so intrinsically on a healthy local environment.
Sadly, recent mismanagement by some of the big water companies dumping sewage into our waters has seen confidence levels fall to an all-time low.
To their credit, the Government has acted quickly where water companies have been found to pollute. The Environment Act put new duties on water companies to reduce environmental and public health harm from the use of storm overflows. I was proud to push through legislation that introduced unlimited fines, record investment in sewage treatment infrastructure, as well as compulsory storm overflow monitors.
This is the largest ever environmental infrastructure investment, totalling £56 billion over 25 years, all under a caring and compassionate Conservative government.
Tough action is making a real difference locally. South West Water has made improvements since it was recently fined £15 million for being found to have polluted across Devon, and revenue is being reinvested in local capital projects to clean up our waters and return visitor confidence. Crucially, storm overflows have significantly reduced, and the popular surfing destination of Croyde beach has proudly regained its ‘excellent’ water quality status this year.
Nationally, the picture has vastly improved: 97 per cent of bathing waters have passed water quality standards, with 72 per cent of beaches and inland waters meeting the ‘excellent’ standard.
Despite this, water is not currently tested between September and May, when water-based tourism is still strong in Devon. This means that inaccurate information about water quality, often perpetuated by groups with a partisan interest, is being released, deterring swimmers and surfers from taking the plunge and damaging the local economy as a result.
Local tourism is taking a hit, and a more joined up approach by the Environment Agency, and local community groups on the ground, is needed to provide absolute assurance for holidaymakers that our beaches and waters are clean and safe for all to enjoy, not just in high season but all year round.
We should be loud and proud as a party about the great progress that has been made in recent years. But hesitation and doubt remain. That is why I am introducing legislation in Parliament – my Bathing Waters (Monitoring) Bill – for all year round testing of our bathing waters, so we can all swim in safety.
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Author: Selaine Saxby MP
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