Clean splash - making London’s rivers swimmable
The Mayor stated in his 2024 election manifesto that he “will launch an ambitious plan to make rivers in London swimmable within ten years.”
River health responsibilities sit with a number of stakeholders in London, including the Environment Agency, Thames Water, London Boroughs and Catchment Management Partnerships – which were established to involve communities in local water quality.
In September, the Mayor signed a pledge to work with all key stakeholders to clean London’s waterways, but what is the current state of river health in London, and what work needs to be done to meet the 10-year plan?
The London Assembly Environment Committee will meet tomorrow for the first of a three-part investigation into the Mayor’s plan for swimmable rivers, and will speak with experts on river health, using rivers for recreation and what defines a swimmable river.
The guests are:
- Theo Thomas, Chief Executive, London Waterkeeper
- Charlie Wood, London Area Director, Environment Agency
- Professor Caroline Scarles, Brunel University
- Philip Brownlie, Head of Public Affairs, Swim England
- Ben Seal, Head of Access and Environment, Paddle UK
- Nathaniel Cole, Co-Founder, Swim Dem Crew
The meeting will take place on Wednesday 4 December 2024 from 2pm in Committee Rooms 2&3 at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
Follow us @LondonAssembly.
Notes to editors
- Sadiq Khan, Making London Greener, Manifesto for May 2024 election
- GLA, River Health
- Zack Polanski AM, Chair of the Environment Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the work of the Environment Committee.
- Read the agenda in full.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more information, please contact Tony Smyth in the Assembly Media Office on 07763 251727 or [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.