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The Environment Agency (EA) is considering increasing regulatory charges to ensure polluters foot the bill for enforcement instead of the public purse, according to its chief executive.
Speaking at the Institute for Government, chief executive James Bevan, said charging more to regulated companies “is a debate being had in government”.
After criticism that the EA has insufficient funds to carry out inspections and environmental monitoring, government announced its budget would be increased this year. This will include £2.2 million a year specifically for water company enforcement, including at least 4,000 farm and 500 sewerage inspections annually. Bevan noted that with this additional funding, the challenges are also going up.
Pollution fines were previously paid to the Treasury but government said these will now be ring-fenced to go to Defra to invest in environmental and water quality improvement projects, such as creating wetlands and restoring riverbanks.
“Nobody likes regulation ‘red tape’ until they need it,” Bevan told the Institute, and added “more people want us to intervene to protect them from something than ever before.” He said the agency was doing all it could with tightly stretched resources and underlined its position that polluters should pay rather than taxpayers.
Bevan called for collaboration of international governments, as well as action at national level, to address carbon emissions and pollution but said individuals also have a role to play in minimising environmental impact and applying pressure to politicians to act in the best interests of the planet.
By the end of 2023, much UK legislation relating to the environment, which is based on European Union policy, will be wound down. Bevan previously described this as a “massive opportunity” to reform regulation.
He said: “Done right, this is a massive opportunity for nature and the economy” and cited the Water Framework Directive as legislation that could be considered for improvement. However, with an estimated 5,000 pieces of EU legislation in the environmental space, Bevan acknowledged it requires considerable time and resources.
Achieving this by the end of 2023 would be possible, Bevan said: “You can do anything under a deadline, but it would make sense to take time to do this well.”
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