England has now been officially declared to be in drought across more than half the country, and canals and rivers are among the first to feel it.
MPs press the minister on England’s drought resilience
A member of the Fund Britain’s Waterways Facebook group has shared a cross-party letter sent to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Rt Hon Dame Angela Eagle DBE MP. Led by Ben Goldsborough MP, the Member of Parliament for South Norfolk, and signed by MPs from across the parties, it follows the announcement on 29 July 2026 that more than half of England is now in drought.
The letter asks to meet ministers to discuss how England’s drought resilience can be strengthened. Among the ideas it puts forward are simpler planning for reservoirs and wider water storage, more support for farm businesses facing repeated drought, more flexible abstraction licences, clearer local Environment Agency communications, and opening the Water Management Grant so farmers can invest in resilience measures. You can read the original post in the Fund Britain’s Waterways Facebook group.
The MPs who signed the letter
- Ben Goldsborough MP – South Norfolk
- Alison Hume MP – Scarborough and Whitby
- Josh Newbury MP – Cannock Chase
- John Whitby MP – Derbyshire Dales
- Julie Minns MP – Carlisle
- David Smith MP – North Northumberland
- Richard Quigley MP – Isle of Wight West
- Maya Ellis MP – Ribble Valley
- Samantha Niblett MP – South Derbyshire
- Terry Jermy MP – South West Norfolk
- Joe Morris MP – Hexham
- James Naish MP – Rushcliffe
- Andy MacNae MP – Rossendale and Darwen
- Sarah Russell MP – Congleton
- Perran Moon MP – Camborne and Redruth
Why this matters for the waterways
Fund Britain’s Waterways is a coalition of more than 160 organisations speaking up for the hundreds of thousands of people who use and love Britain’s canals and rivers. Drought and water shortages put extra strain on a network that already suffers from years of underinvestment, and the campaign argues that sustainable, long-term government funding is essential if canals and rivers are to cope with a changing climate.
If you would like to help, sign the petition at change.org and share it using #FundBritainsWaterways. You can also read more about the campaign here.
