On 13th January 2022 the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published its report on “Water Quality in Rivers”

In the second of our notes from the highly successful Wildlife & Countryside Link conference in London on 6th December 2021, we cover some of the remarks by George Eustice, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs on the Environment Act 2021, and discuss the potential significance of his remarks on environmental targets.

All those attending must have greatly appreciated the work done by Wildlife & Countryside Link in preparing an outstanding and highly focussed conference in London on 6th December 2021, featuring two Secretaries of State

The Environment Bill, first published in draft in 2018, subject to interminable delays and carried over from one Parliamentary session to another, finally completed its passage through Parliament on 9th November 2021, still mired in controversy over whether it addresses with adequate clarity the pressing need for effective enforcement of environmental laws

I am really looking forward to speaking on 23 September at the Annual Scottish Conference 2021 of UKELA - UK Environmental Law Association

A new report published on 22 July 2021 outlines the scale of illegal waste activity in England. The report “An independent Study into Fly-tipping and Unregistered Waste Carriers in England” was carried out by Air & Space Evidence and EPR, and commissioned by Material Focus, the not-for-profit behind the Recycle Your Electricals campaign. I was one of a number of reviewers taken from academia, the waste industry and former Government and regulatory officials.

On 4th March 2021, in a case brought before Brexit (C-664/18 Commission v United Kingdom), the Court of Justice of the European Union found that the UK had “systematically and persistently” since 1 January 2010 exceeded the annual limit value for Nitrogen Dioxide

Summary of Response to Consultation by Defra, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Government by William Wilson, Barrister, Wyeside Consulting Ltd, 26th February 2021.

We see these six factors as likely to have big impacts on business and its regulation in 2021. While fully aware that we do not have all the answers, we have developed a three part Regulatory Stocktake, to make a structured assessment of their impacts on specific business areas.