Council Vote Unanimously To Support Friends Of The Dart Transparency Template
We were invited to present our work at the South Hams District Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee Meeting on Thursday, 27th March 2025. Two of our Directors, Nicky Rajska and Hannah Pearson, presented findings from testing and proposed improvements for communication and transparency.
Also in attendance were Alan Burrows, Head of local government affairs for the Pennon group and Mark Worsfold, Director of asset management for South West Water. This was the third in a series of meetings where SHDC invited senior management from South West Water to report on, and answer questions, about their plans for infrastructure improvements.
On 21st December 2023, Friends of the Dart (FOD) made an initial request for greater transparency via email. This was followed by a formal proposal, including a template, at a meeting at Pennon Group Headquarters on 15th January 2024. At this recent Overview & Scrutiny Committee Meeting, we reiterated our request. Council members then voted unanimously in support of using the Friends of the Dart Transparency Template, which is an essential precondition to holding South West Water accountable.
In addition to the discussion about greater transparency, we very much welcomed several recent developments that mark progress in water quality management and infrastructure improvements.
One significant achievement is the positive engagement around our Bathing Waters Applications leading to the scheduled update of 16 infrastructure sites.. As a result we now have four sites that are officially designated as Bathing Water sites. This recognition is crucial in ensuring the continued monitoring and enhancement of water quality in these areas.
We also acknowledge the introduction of live alerts that indicate sewage and wastewater releases. While this is a commendable step towards transparency, we have observed that, in practice, this system is often disabled and there is no way to access historical data.. Consistent and reliable operation of these alerts is essential to keeping the public informed about potential risks to water quality.
Another promising development is SWW’s announcement regarding the installation of a UV filter at Kilbury. While we have received a verbal agreement that this will be implemented before the end of 2027, there is currently no formal agreement in place. We urge SWW to solidify this commitment with a concrete timeline and official announcement.
Furthermore, we appreciate the scheduled updates to 16 infrastructure sites along the River Dart. These updates, confirmed to us via email on November 11, 2024, fall within the Asset Management Plan (AMP) 8 framework and, again, are in direct response to our bathing water designations. This planned investment is a necessary step towards improving water management and reducing pollution in the region.
To continue fostering constructive and collaborative engagement, we called on SWW to prioritise the following key actions:
Building Trust and Respect with Communities and their Customers through Full Transparency: Providing detailed information rather than broad, ambiguous statements will help build credibility and confidence among stakeholders.
Ensuring Prompt and Professional Communication: SWW should formally notify communities of planned improvement works. We propose the use of our SWW Transparency Template to standardize and streamline this process.
Sharing Real-Time Data: Making real-time water quality data readily available will enable informed decision-making for both the public and policymakers.
By committing to these principles, SWW can enhance its relationship with the community and work towards a cleaner and healthier water environment for all.
A full video of the South Hams District Council Overview & Scrutiny Meeting can be seen here