Please note this is a draft version of Party policy and views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of today’s current Wessex Regionalists
Waterways policy proposal (George Wright)
Wessex’s waterways have shaped the region’s character from the earliest settlements in the upper Thames Valley, to weir-building in the Kingdom of Wessex era. In Alfred the Great’s political writings, the management of water acts as an extended metaphor for responsible leadership, as he suggests in his Pastoral Care that a wer (nobleman) should control his thoughts like a wer (weir) guides the flow of a waterway.
The 1973 Water Act established the Wessex Water Authority as one of ten regional bodies managing England’s waterways, with Wessex Water covering mid-west Wessex while other parts fell under ‘Southern’ and ‘South West’ authorities. However, privatization in 1981 led to substantial neglect, as water companies prioritized profits over infrastructure, resulting in extensive sewage discharge—over 2.5 million hours of untreated waste in rivers in 2021 alone.
In contrast, European countries with public ownership models have seen significant water quality improvements, with over 95% of bathing waters in Austria and Malta rated as “excellent.” The Wessex Regionalists advocate for a similar approach, aiming to reform the privatized system to prioritize environmental and public health over shareholder dividends.
Wessex Regionalist policies
The Wessex Regionalists would, under a devolved Wessex:
- gradually integrate into a New Wessex Water Company the existing Wessex Water and other parts of water infrastructure within the Wessex Region of local water companies (e.g. the existing Wessex Water and the Wessaxon areas of Thames Water, South East Water, South West Water)
- aim to imitate Alfred’s great reforms by converting existing weirs into small-scale hydroelectric dams. These should be equipped with fish-ladders to ensure minimal environmental impact. This energy would be sold to the national grid with boroughs/local authorities acting as beneficiaries conditional on responsible upkeep and maintenance of their local weirs/hydro-electric dams
Wessex Regionalists would, within the centralised (Anglo-)British Parliament and/or at existing regional- and local- government levels:
- advocate for community ownership in new waterways projects
- support moves to hold water companies criminally accountable (including the threat of carceral punishment) for repeated sewage-dumping and other practices (i.e. support the Labour Party’s moves to abolish the culture of unscrupulous fee-incursions)
- support and advocate for local weir-conversion and damming projects with appropriate environmental mitigations
- work with local stakeholders in flood prevention and management to ensure fairness for those in at-risk areas
Wessex Regionalists 