The South East urgently needs an action plan to manage water use, says the South East England Regional Assembly Planning Committee.

Committee members have called for talks with water regulator OFWAT and the Environment Agency to argue that Government agencies must draw up an immediate action plan to help residents and businesses become more water efficient.

Regional Planning Committee Chairman Cllr Christine Field said:

"Our role is to ensure plans are in place for the long term through our 20-year South East Plan, but Government agencies must play their part in the shorter term and make it easier for people to be water efficient."

"There must be incentives for manufacturers and consumers to switch to water efficient appliances such as washing machines and bathroom fittings, while building regulations should enforce water efficiency in new developments. Delivering this sort of behaviour change is a national responsibility, but failure to change people's wasteful ways with water could have a serious impact on the South East."

"Current figures show our water supply can cope with South East Plan growth as long as we build more reservoirs and become more water efficient. But it is also the water companies' responsibility to manage supply efficiently. We can't leave this to chance so we're calling for urgent action to make saving water a priority not just a drought year worry."

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. Research on water resources by the Environment Agency, May 2006 - - 3.79 MB
2. The South East England Regional Assembly is the "voluntary regional chamber" for the South East. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, and Surrey.
3. The Regional Assembly is made up of 112 members including elected councillors nominated by the region's local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations) as well as the New Forest National Park Authority.
4. The Assembly has three areas of core business:
• It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
• The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
• The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.

Last updated: 21 August 2007