Liverpool mayor sets out a water vision

Liverpool’s metro mayor Steve Rotherham has unveiled a Vision for sustainable water management, to tackle regional challenges that are being aggravated by climate change – including surface water flooding, sewer flooding and pollution.

The Vision sets out four strategic objectives around creating cleaner bodies of water, avoiding flooding, mitigating the impacts of sea level rise and maintaining reliable water supplies. It builds on a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year with United Utilities and the Mersey Rivers Trust to help deliver the Government’s national water quality goals and accelerate the clean-up of the River Mersey.

It also marks a step on the way towards the creation of an integrated water management plan, which will focus on the following key enablers:

• Investment: increasing available investment for water management.

• Resources and skills: ensuring responsible authorities and partnerships are well-resourced, and have the knowledge and skills to transform the water system effectively.

• Policy: water management, including water resources, to be fully integrated when making key decisions.

• Data and evidence: the gathering and sharing of data to guide and monitor activity.

• Engagement and communication: better engagement between authorities, businesses and residents.

• Spatial planning and growth: ensuring that implications for water management are considered as part of the regional and national growth agenda.

The Vision is a collaboration between the Combined Authority, the six Local Authorities, United Utilities, the Mersey Rivers Trust, the Environment Agency and Network Rail.