Alastair Chisholm @alastairchisholm.bsky.social
@al_chisholm
Director of Policy at @CIWEM. Passionate about managing land + water better for people + nature. Views totally my own.
With sewage in the news, here's recommendations made by a combo of experts/ public on how next govt should deliver A Fresh Water Future. Over three quarters of the public polled believed water reform should be a priority, or the main priority for the next government.🧵
In the face of the climate and sewage crises we need government to get💩done on keeping rainwater out of combined sewers. That involves water companies retrofitting sustainable drainage and builders doing them right in developments. Why the delay? ciwem.org/news/suds-comm…
Part of the reason the #PlanningBill faced such a hard time in Parliament is because of inaccurate & divisive bat-bashing by senior ministers. Government amendments improve the bill; this kind of rhetoric does not. Housing & nature need not be at odds. independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
🚨OUT NOW🚨 Water regulator Ofwat is to be axed, but what will replace it? 🤔And what other big water sector shake-ups can we expect (or not expect) following this week's review? 🌊 Tune in to the latest episode of the ECO Chamber ft. guest @CIWEM's @al_chisholm to find out 💡
@CIWEM director of policy @al_chisholm has shared his deep-dive on the Independent Water Commission final report. ➡️Read it here: ciwem.org/news/cunliffe-… Alastair also joined @Niki_Roach_ for a special episode of @PlanetP_ossible. ➡️ Listen here: bit.ly/PP_cunliffe
When government responds to the independent water commission this autumn, clear commitments to reverse this kind of trend must be abundantly evident. We will need a bigger, stronger regulator. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
For all the bashing of the Tories on water industry privatisation history, line 4 should be noted. theguardian.com/business/nils-…
Once you think about how tyres actually work (abrasion for grip), where water runs off roads to (local streams with minimal treatment) and how many cars there are, you quickly realise how massive an issue microplastics from tyres is. independent.co.uk/news/science/p…
Given the state of water company reputation, it might be more effective if the Environment Agency / new regulator is the one to announce / rubber stamp hosepipe bans in areas where they've formally declared drought. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
The Cunliffe Review recommended - like so many over the years - sustainable drainage (SuDS) should be mandatory in new developments. In parallel @DefraGovUK's press release said SuDS can reduce impact of new development on sewers by up to 87%. Surely now no brainer @AngelaRayner?
Partha Dasgupta, who produced a review on the economics of biodiversity, is one of the world’s foremost intellectuals on valuing nature. You might be surprised, then, to hear he thinks we need to be more emotional & less intellectual about nature loss. link.thetimes.co.uk/view/633483fab…
It'll be interesting how far govt really backs water commission recommendations, incl: - A beefed up, better-paid regulator? - Housing, transport, farming *really* minimising water impact? Those don't feel totally aligned to the current growth v nature narrative but still time.
We’re fixing Britain’s broken water industry — tackling pollution and backing customers. No more neglect. No more excuses. We promised change. We’re delivering it.
Five key takeaways from the landmark water sector review - BBC News bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…
7 key takeaways from the water review. I'll add an 8th - sustainable drainage systems should be mandatory in new housing. 💯 theguardian.com/business/2025/…
