COLUMN by Thornbury and Yate MP Claire Young

Last Friday, I welcomed Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey to Thornbury & Yate constituency.

One of the places we visited was the River Frome in Frampton Cotterell.

Dog owners, teenagers and walkers alike will know Black Rocks, a picturesque oasis of calm away from the nearby bustle of the village.

We were there to check the water for pollution.

Last year, Wessex Water dumped sewage into the River Frome more than 1,900 times, with the six local sewer overflows releasing sewage over 400 times in the village.

At the same time, Wessex Water paid out £1.6m to company execs, including £530,000 in bonuses.

It’s clear that, like other water companies, they are putting profit and pay-outs ahead of cleaning up our rivers.

It’s time to put protecting nature and biodiversity at the forefront of this industry; the way forward is to reform the businesses into Public Benefit Companies, with environmental protection at their core.

During his visit, I also took Ed to visit Frome Valley Medical Centre.

It was an opportunity to hear from frontline staff about the pressures they face every day, and the impact this can have on patients.

It is clear that something must be done. Whilst the new government is undertaking a lengthy review of NHS services, the Liberal Democrats fought the election campaign with an ambitious 5-year plan to tackle the issue.

Our plan would see 8,000 more GPs recruited, resulting in an extra 65 million appointments a year.

We want to ensure patients can see a medical professional within seven days, or just 24 hours if in urgent need.

There is also some positive news in Thornbury, where I have had it confirmed that £14.4m for the new Thornbury Health Centre will be delivered by this new Government. 

This is great news, but there is much work to do to improve local health services.

Wessex Water statement 

In reply to Ms Young's column, A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “We're aware that our licensed storm overflows in Frampton Cotterell operated frequently in 2023.

"While it protected local properties from flooding in what was the fourth wettest year since records began, we agree that overflows are outdated so we are investing £3 million a month to improve them.

“This includes a £5 million project currently underway in Frampton Cotterell to build three large stormwater storage tanks, which will increase capacity and reduce how often the nearby overflows will operate.

"MP Claire Young was briefed about this work earlier this year and it is on track to be completed in January 2025.

“For the second year running, no bonuses relating to environmental performance have been paid to our directors. Bonuses are set by an independent remuneration committee and assessed against a range of different metrics.

“We have also laid out plans to invest £445 million towards reducing the operation of storm overflows – more than double the current spend – in our revised 2025-30 Business Plan which is currently being considered by the regulator Ofwat.

“More widely, the number of storm overflow events are related to the amount of rain being able to mix with flows in sewers – as it currently does from the majority of the country’s properties and roads.

“We believe rain should be valued as a resource and, where possible, used and returned to the environment close to where it falls.

"Alongside our ongoing work, this requires the political understanding and will to bring forward policies that that promote best practice in rainwater management at source.”