Ryde Mayor and Isle of Wight councillor for the Appley and Elmfield Ward, Cllr Michael Lilley, was recently approached by French News Agency, AFP, to talk about storm sewage overflows on Ryde’s beaches.
Cllr Lilley explained,
“AFP had chosen Ryde and Isle of Wight as the spillages/sewage releases are some of the highest in UK on beaches by Southern Water.
“They approached me and I thought it was important to speak out and communicate how I and Ryde Town Council were confronting and discussing with Southern Water, how to tackle this unacceptable situation.”
The story, which has spread as far as the Bangkok Post in Thailand, also features local Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) rep, Chani Kind, and Ryde resident, Eddie Truelove.
On Tuesday the Southern Water CEO, Lawrence Gosden, announced ‘the beginning of the end for storm overflows’, with plans to invest £50m between now and 2025 to tackle the issue.
Lilley: Southern Water need to be held to account
Following the interview with AFP, Cllr Lilley said,
“Southern Water need to be held to account and that is in a two-fold approach from Ryde Town Council which is, keep pursuing a formal complaint and keep this in the public domain whilst having talks directly with Southern Water to put in place practical steps/solutions for Ryde.
“I want to see a Ryde Clean Beach and Sustainable Water Charter between RTC and Southern Water.”
The Mayor explains more about what he’s been doing with Southern Water already to tackle the issue, which you can read in detail on his Website.
Way Forward
Cllr Lilley also says he’s exploring the best way to forward discussions with Southern Water as follows:
- Ryde Town Council (RTC) to agree a motion at next Full Council to go into negotiations with Southern Water (SW) to develop and finalise the Ryde Water Charter.
- RTC to discuss with relevant University of Portsmouth departments through existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement to engage with RTC and SW in developing the Ryde Water Charter.
- SW and RTC staff teams to develop a deliverable a financially viable business case for implementation in 2023/24.
- Establishment of a Ryde Water Charter working group.
- Development of a Ryde Sustainable Water Strategy alongside a Ryde Renewable Energy Strategy with University of Portsmouth and utility companies as part of an overall Climate Change and Biosphere strategy that integrates with the Ryde Place Plan.
Image: © With kind permission of Chi Bellami
Article edit
3.01pm 5th Apr 2023 – Changed Chani’s description to her SAS role.
