The Conservative government slashed the Environment Agency’s funding to tackle sewage pollution and protect the environment before leaving office, i can reveal.
The watchdog’s “environmental protection grant” funds a range of activities, including the enforcement of water companies’ raw sewage discharge permits, monitoring and incident management, as well as green finance, farm inspections, waste reform and chemical regulations.
Figures obtained by i through a Freedom of Information request reveal that the grant decreased from £152m in 2010-11 to £70m in 2018-19.
It then increased every year between 2018-19 and 2023-24, peaking at £162m before being reduced again in the 2024-25 period.
When inflation is taken into account, the grant’s value in 2010-11 amounts to £228m – nearly a third (30 per cent) higher than its value in 2024-25.
The grant was then cut last year, for the first time since 2018-19, dropping to £159m from £162m, despite the amount of raw sewage dumped into England’s waterways in 2023 being double that of 2022.
The decision to cut the grant was made as part of a spending review by the previous Conservative government, i understands.
The Environment Agency (EA) did not specify how much funding is allocated to each activity covered by the grant.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) told i: “It is essential that the Environment Agency has the resources and backing it needs to protect Britain’s environment, clean up our waterways and protect communities from the dangers of flooding.
“That is why we are introducing steps to ensure polluters pay – with funds being pumped back into the regulator.”
The spokesperson said that the EA will receive nearly £2.1bn in overall funding for 2024-25, which will be “closely monitored to ensure the organisation can carry out its duties effectively to protect the environment”.
The spokesperson added: “This includes their work on improving water quality, which is a top priority.
“The EA is increasing water company inspections – rising to 4,000 a year by the end of March 2025 and then to 10,000 by April 2026.”
Defra declined to comment on whether the fund will be increased by the Labour Government next year as a spending review is currently being carried out.
i has contacted the Conservative Party and former environment secretary Steve Barclay for a comment.
Elliot Chapman Jones, head of public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, told i: “It is both disappointing and worrying that funds to help enforce legal protections for nature are being slashed. Enforcement of these laws is critical to reverse wildlife declines and stop dangerous water pollution getting even worse.
“Crippling cuts to the Environment Agency a decade ago severely weakened its enforcement powers, laying the foundations for the lethal pollution of rivers and seas.
“The new UK Government mustn’t make the same mistake as previous administrations by under-investing in our natural infrastructure. The Chancellor must use the upcoming Spending Review to ensure all of DEFRA’s public bodies are sufficiently funded to clean up rivers and put nature into recovery.”
English water companies pumped sewage into rivers and seas 464,056 times last year, up 54 per cent from 301,091 in 2022, according to EA data.
The duration of the sewage spills more than doubled from 1,754,921 hours in 2022 to 3,606,170 hours in 2023.
This made 2023 the worst year on record for sewage spills.
“The new Government has inherited an environmental catastrophe,” said chief executive of River Action James Wallace.
“They must act quickly to reverse the damage caused to our waterways and seas by the previous government. Any further cutback in funding for regulatory enforcement will send the wrong message to polluters.
“We encourage Steve Reed, the SOS for Defra, to request that the Chancellor commits to restoring much-needed resources to the Environment Agency to prosecute offenders. Polluters must no longer profit from breaking the law.”
The Water (Special Measures) Bill, introduced by the Labour Government, will bring in “severe and automatic” fines for polluting water companies, as well as powers to pursue personal criminal liability charges against executives.
It will also ban water bosses’ bonuses when environmental standards are not met and set out a new code of conduct for firms so customers can summon board members and hold executives to account.
In the lead-up to the general election, i called on all the major parties to commit to a five-point manifesto to reduce pollution and save Britain’s rivers, seas and waterways.
Some of the measures laid out in i‘s manifesto will be introduced in the new Water Bill, including tougher powers for the regulator Ofwat and increased prosecutions against water companies.
But i is still calling on the Government to go further and use its first Budget to raise EA funding so it can properly monitor sewage spills as well as offer farmers grants to reduce agricultural pollution.
While the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have signed up to the manifesto, Labour and the Conservatives are yet to back it in full.
Sir Keir Starmer has praised i‘s manifesto, but stopped short of fully committing to its five pledges.
