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Write to my elected member

Write to your elected member today and demand they act for your local river.

RESCUE OUR RIVERS:

WRITE TO YOUR ELECTED MEMBER

Our rivers are in crisis. But your elected members hold real power to change that. From planning decisions to land management, they can make a real difference for your local river. Write to your local councillor today and demand they act.

We’ve created a tool so that you can easily find the local councillors that represent you and write to them using our template letter. It takes two minutes and your river needs you to use it. Use the button below to get started.

What power does my Elected Member have to protect our rivers?

Everyone in the UK is represented by at least one local councillor and a Member of Parliament (MP). Depending on where you live, you may also have additional representatives such as an elected Mayor, an MSP in the Scottish Parliament, an MS in the Welsh Senedd, or an MLA in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Enter your postcode at www.writetothem.com to find out exactly who represents you.

It is worth checking this, because each representative has different powers over river health depending on which level of government they sit in:

Unitary Council/Authority

These are “all-in-one” councils. 

Local councils are much more than administrative hubs; they are the frontline guardians of our local environment. Their powers include:

Planning & Development: Councils decide where new homes go and must ensure sewage infrastructure can actually cope before a single brick is laid.

Land Management: Councils manage parks and road verges where “nature-based” solutions, like rain gardens, can stop toxic runoff from reaching the river.

Abatement Notices: When the public reports a “statutory nuisance,” councils have a legal duty to investigate and can issue “cease and desist” orders. More people are now using this to report river pollution.

The January 2026 Water White Paper signals a major shift in the council’s role within Regional Water Planning. While these changes will be formalised in upcoming legislation, the government has already set a clear direction: councils will no longer be spectators. They are to be co-designers of a joined-up strategy for the environment and water supply. We expect this new leadership role to be backed by government funding and a mandate for councils to ensure that regional water plans finally align with local community needs, housing targets, and environmental protection.

If you don’t have a unitary authority, these powers may be split between a two-tier system of councils:

Out of the powers outlined for Unitary Councils/Authorities, Local (District) Councils focus on frontline issues: they handle individual local housing applications, land drainage, and sewage “nuisances.”

Out of the powers outlined for Unitary Councils/Authorities, County Councils focus on strategic and infrastructure issues: they manage roads, county-wide nature recovery, and regional water planning.

London has a unique setup where all 32 London boroughs are unitary authorities which sit under a city-wide ‘Greater London Authority’.

The Greater London Authority manages overarching city-wide planning strategies. The London Borough Councils then make individual decisions in-line with Greater London Authority plans.

In a few areas (like Watford, Hackney, or Tower Hamlets), you vote for a Mayor who leads the whole council. They have a massive “bully pulpit” to shame water companies and set city-wide targets. There can also be Mayors for cities and wider regions such as (York and North Yorkshire). Some historic cities have Lord Mayors which take on a more ceremonial role; they are elected councillors who are voted in to the role by the council.

National representatives for devolved parliaments and assemblies include:

MSPs in the Scottish Parliament

MSs in the Welsh Senedd

MLAs in the Northern Ireland Assembly

They don’t manage local pipes, but they write the laws and set the budgets that govern the entire water industry in their devolved nations.

The Changing Face of Local Power

The map of local government is changing. Many areas are currently transitioning to Unitary Authorities, single councils that handle everything from planning and waste to social care. Additionally, more regions now have locally elected Mayors (Metro Mayors) who oversee “Combined Authorities.” These Mayors often have significant strategic power over large-scale infrastructure, transport, and regional planning. This all has a direct impact on the health of our river catchments.

What can my Elected Member do for my river?

Local elected members have more power over river health than most people realise. These are not vague aspirations. Below is a breakdown of the specific, local actions they can take to protect your local river.

Ending sewage pollution

Your elected member should identify and publicise local sewage pollution hotspots and their causes, ensuring the community knows exactly where and why our rivers are being treated as open sewers, while setting clear, zero-tolerance local targets and deadlines for ending all discharges.

Who is this relevant for?
Local, County, and Unitary members.

Using the council’s Statutory Nuisance powers to investigate sewage pollution raised by local residents. If a water company is fouling our community, the council must use its legal duty to issue Abatement Notices and hold them to account.

Who is this relevant for?
Local and Unitary members.

Your elected member should represent the community on their local Catchment Partnership. This is a working partnership between local authorities, water companies, and residents to co-manage their local river system. They should use the council’s seat to ensure water company investment fixes local infrastructure instead of lining shareholder pockets.

Who is this relevant for?
Local, County, and Unitary members.

Putting the River first in new development

Your elected member should ensure that before any major development is approved, the council requests a formal ‘Certificate of Capacity’. This is a public guarantee from the water company that the local sewage works can actually treat the extra load without increasing emergency dumping into our rivers. If that capacity does not exist, legal planning conditions must be used to prevent new homes and commercial properties from being occupied until upgrades are finished.

Who is this relevant for?
Local and Unitary members.

This is also relevant to Mayors because they set the Spatial Development Strategy, which can mandate that every council in their region adopts this “Infrastructure First” rule as a standard policy.

SuDS are man-made, nature-friendly drainage solutions like rain gardens, green roofs, and ponds that capture and slow rainwater on the surface to act as a natural sponge. This stops rain from overloading our sewers, which is the primary cause of water companies dumping raw sewage into our rivers. Your elected member should commit to implementing the new National SuDS Standards, making nature-based drainage a mandatory requirement for all local planning and council land management.

Who is this relevant for?
Local, County, Unitary, and Mayoral members.

Note for Senedd and Scottish Parliament members: SuDS are already a mandatory legal requirement in Scotland and Wales (they are currently doing much better than England in this area!). Candidates should pledge to protect these laws and ensure they are not weakened by developer lobbying or planning loopholes.

Working with Farmers to Protect our Catchments

Following the Caffyn v Shropshire Council [2025] High Court victory, councils are now legally required to assess the downstream and in-combination effects of agricultural developments. Your elected member should commit to rejecting any new or expanding industrial-scale farms including poultry, dairy, or beef units unless the developer can prove exactly where the manure will go and that the river catchment isn’t already at breaking point from existing pollution.

  • Relevant for: Local and Unitary members.
  • For Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, and Senedd members: Agriculture is a devolved matter. Your elected member should pledge to introduce national planning legislation that mirrors this “catchment-wide” legal standard, ensuring no new intensive farms are approved in areas where rivers are already failing.

Following the NFU v Herefordshire Council [2025] victory, the law now recognises that manure and slurry are classified as “waste” rather than harmless by-products, unless a very strict and narrow exception is met. Your elected member should require all new intensive poultry and livestock units to submit a Waste Management Method Statement. This must provide a transparent, legally-binding plan for the safe disposal of all manure, proving it will not cause nutrient run-off into local waterways.

  • Relevant for: Local and Unitary members.
  • For Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, and Senedd members: Waste and Agriculture are fully devolved. Your elected member should pledge to formally adopt the “Manure is Waste” legal definition into national planning policy to ensure a consistent, high standard of protection across all catchments.

PREVENTING HARMFUL CHEMICALS

Your elected member should commit to implementing a comprehensive Pesticide Reduction Strategy, starting with an immediate ban on glyphosate and other harmful chemicals across all council-owned parks, verges, and tenanted farms to prevent toxic runoff into our local watercourses.

  • Relevant for: Local, County, Unitary, and Mayoral members.
  • For Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, and Senedd members: Pesticide regulation is a devolved power. Your elected member should pledge to introduce a national ban on the cosmetic use of glyphosate in all urban and public spaces, providing the legislative backing and funding for local councils to switch to non-toxic alternatives.

SECURING OUR WATER FUTURE

To ensure new developments do not drain our rivers dry, your elected member should commit to immediately adopting the highest available water efficiency standards for all new homes. This means mandating the use of low-flow showerheads, aerated taps, and dual-flush toilets to reduce household consumption to 100 litres per person per day.

  • Relevant for: Local, Unitary, and Mayoral members.
  • Also relevant for Mayors, as they set the Spatial Development Strategy, which can mandate that every council in their region adopts a water efficiency standard.

Your elected member should use the council’s planning powers to require all major new commercial and public buildings to incorporate Rainwater Harvesting or Greywater Recycling. This treats water as a precious resource, reducing the demand for fresh abstraction from our aquifers and delicate chalk streams.

  • Relevant for: Local, Unitary, and Mayoral members.
  • For Mayors: This is particularly relevant as Mayors can include specific “Water Neutrality” targets in their Spatial Development Strategies.
  • For Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, and Senedd members: Building standards and water utility regulation are devolved. Your elected member should pledge to update national Building Regulations to make water saving measures a mandatory standard for all new large-scale commercial and public sector builds.

Ready to write to your councillor? It only takes two minutes.

By holding candidates to these commitments, you can help turn the tide for your river. Use your vote to make sure clean water is a priority in your community.

Want to get in touch? Email us at: info@riveractionuk.com