Other stories from last week

(by Karma Loveday)

Following reports that ministers may consider withdrawing from the Aarhus Convention, 40 of the the biggest environmental NGOs and several King’s Counsel barristers have written to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to urge that the UK Government reaffirm its commitment to the Convention which guarantees access to information, participation in decision-making, and environmental justice. The Government recently stated in a Parliamentary Question that it had “no plans” to withdraw from the Convention. But the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, would remove the “paper permission” stage of judicial review and restrict rights to appeal in cases involving major infrastructure. Signatories to the letter warned that further weakening of access to justice would represent a serious regression in the UK’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the rule of law. 

The Royal Society of Chemistry has called on the UK Government to adopt a ‘polluter pays’ policy for companies that discharge PFAS into the environment, mandating that they contribute to the clean up. This position is supported by the water industry. 

Southern Water is hosting its first ever careers fair to recruit for 250 roles across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex, to support delivery of its AMP8 investment plan. 

Funding from Southern Water’s Business Partnership Fund has so far enabled hotel chain Premier Inn to save more than 27,000 litres of water a day, or 9.5 million litres a year. Six hotels in Southampton and Gatwick have been fitted with gadgets including water-efficient showerheads and flow-restricted taps. 

South East Water has added the SignVideo service to its website. At the click of a button, deaf or hard of hearing customers can be connected to a British Sign Language (BSL) translator who works with the customer service team to support the customer’s needs. The service is free to use, does not require any specialist equipment and is available throughout call centre opening hours.