London and Liverpool mayors convene river clean-up coalitions

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has convened a new multi-stakeholder clean-up partnership for London’s rivers.

He hosted a roundtable last week at which funding was committed for immediate action. Thames Water will provide the bulk of this — £1.8bn, through its 2025-30 price review allowance, which will fund improvements including tackling 26 storm overflows on the Roding, Wandle, Lee and Brent, now that the Tideway tunnel is working on the Thames. The company also announced a new £20m fund for environment and community group action.

This funding will be supplemented by £6.65m from City Hall and £500,000 from Transport for London, targeted at reducing road run-off pollution from entering waterways, helping to reduce flood risk, delivering large scale re-wilding and providing nature projects for waterways. In addition, the London Wildlife Trust will provide £800,000 over two years  for river and nature recovery projects with local communities across the capital. 

The Mayor’s objectives include widening waterway access for all communities. Research found that 29% of Londoners say they visit natural spaces weekly, but those from lower-income backgrounds and black or Asian communities are far less likely to do so. The new polling also found Londoners are deeply concerned about the state of waterways, with sewage pollution, plastic waste and wildlife decline among the top worries.

Khan said: “We have made great progress in cleaning our air in London, and I’m committed to doing the same with our rivers. Together we can make our rivers something that every Londoner can be proud of as we continue to build a greener, fairer, better London for everyone.”

Last week’s roundtable and subsequent working groups will feed into the Mayor of London’s major new water clean-up strategy. A statement said: “The Mayor is determined to clean up London’s rivers as he has with London’s air, and a nature-first approach to improve water quality and increase biodiversity is key to his Clean and Healthy Waterways Plan, which is due to published early next year. 

“The Plan will deliver a coordinated, ten-year plan for improving London’s waterways, setting clear priorities for reducing pollution, restoring biodiversity, and increasing public access. It will also strengthen collaboration between government, regulators, businesses, and community organisations to drive targeted action on water quality and environmental protection.” 

Mersey model

Meanwhile, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, announced a landmark agreement with United Utilities and the Mersey Rivers Trust to accelerate the clean-up of the River Mersey. 

The mayor’s ambition is for a discharge-free Mersey. A Memorandum of Understanding commits the three partners to a joint five-year action plan aimed at reducing sewage discharges, improving water quality and boosting biodiversity across the Liverpool City Region. The plan will also explore nature-based solutions, such as sustainable drainage systems and natural flood management techniques, to reduce pressure on the sewer network and cut the risk of overflows.

Rotheram highlighted that the agreement was an opportunity to demonstrate how national and local leadership can work together to deliver meaningful change. The approach is designed to support and enhance the delivery of the Government’s national targets – including regarding the Water Framework Directive and Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan – while bringing forward faster local action. 

He said: “This partnership is about delivering on the Government’s national plan while demonstrating how local leadership can help accelerate progress. If we can do this in the Liverpool City Region, we can set a standard for others to follow. Together, we can make the Mersey – and rivers across the country – cleaner, greener, and healthier for future generations.”

Additionally, the partners are committed to enhancing public access to the region’s waterways, creating cleaner and safer spaces for communities to enjoy.