River Pollution

Baroness Buscombe Excerpts

Monday 10th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I am afraid that I do not have any information on when it will meet again. However, I am more than happy to pass on the noble Earl’s suggestion and concerns to the new Secretary of State in Defra, who I am sure will want to take the best action possible at the next meeting.

[Baroness Buscombe (Con)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that a key challenge for this Government is the lack of effective planning enforcement? I have a classic example from my own village of Goring-on-Thames in connection with a retrospective application for an Airbnb on a zone 1 flood plain. The Liberal Democrat council accepted a work of fiction by so-called professionals, Taylor Consulting, which even named the wrong village and the wrong river in its report, which was entirely accepted by South Oxfordshire District Council. It completely ignored all kinds of water going into the river, including treated pool water.

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

Clearly, I cannot comment on a specific case. It is important that, when planning applications are put forward, they are properly considered in the context of pollution.