Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to collaborate with (a) local communities and (b) environmental organisations to restore chalk stream (i) habitats and (ii) biodiversity.

This Government is committed to building stronger ties and working collaboratively on shared priorities to restore chalk streams, these unique water bodies are not just vital ecosystems, but a symbol of our national heritage.

In the financial year (2024/25), through the Water Environment Improvement Fund, the Government’s aim was to fund 45 projects (worth £2.5 million of government investment) that improve chalk streams, each with the injection of private investment, and through the Water Resources Chalk Partnership Fund, in the same financial year, the Environment Agency was aiming to deliver 21 Chalk Partnership projects, aimed at safeguarding these rare and irreplaceable habitats.