The proposed councils would bring local leaders, customers and businesses together to set priorities and help shape billions of pounds of water and flood infrastructure investment.
The UK government plans to establish 8 regional water councils in England, bringing local leaders, customers and businesses together to set priorities for their areas. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says the councils would help shape billions of pounds of investment in water and flood infrastructure.
Water-system decisions are currently taken nationally, the department said, and local areas have not had enough influence over decisions affecting their different challenges. The proposals aim to give communities a stronger voice on sewage and water quality, flooding, drought and future water supplies.
The department pointed to Greater Manchester’s Integrated Water Management Plan as an existing regional partnership that brings together planning, regulation and investment. It said improved drainage there had helped support town-center regeneration.
Separately from the councils’ proposed role in setting priorities, the department said mayors would receive new powers through the strengthened Water Bill to hold water companies accountable for their performance. The Guardian report gives no implementation date or detailed enforceable powers for the councils.
Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats’ environment spokesperson, called the councils a cover for inaction. He said the secretary of state had not identified a single power the councils would have to stop damage to waterways, The Guardian said. Farron instead called for a Clean Water Authority to address sewage pollution, ban unjustified bonuses and hold water executives legally accountable.
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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says the initiative will develop expertise in educational institutions and laboratories exploring how to integrate superintelligence (SI) with physical objects.
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The captain received 42 months in prison and the boatswain 34 months after a court found they intentionally dragged the ship’s anchor, damaging two cables. They must jointly pay about €1.9 million (about $2.1 million); the captain must pay another €85,000 (about $96,000).
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Human Rights Watch says parliament approved grounds to target serious humanitarian-law violations, obstruction of aid and violations of liberty and personal security, opening the way for further sanctions.
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