Voting For Our Seas: Ending Pollution in the General Election

Key takeaways

• The next general election has been called, giving us the chance to end water pollution for good. 
• But why should that be our focus? In this guide, we’re taking a look at how poor water quality and high pollution levels are affecting our country and why you need to take notice.
• We’ll set out the Surfers Against Sewage demands for our next government so you know what needs to happen for real change.

Using the election for change

So, an election has been called. While we knew it was coming this year, many of us were shocked it came so soon. But we’re not disappointed. In fact, the sooner the better because elections are opportunities for change. 

With our oceans and seas more polluted than ever, new reports of raw sewage discharges, and our natural wildlife and biodiversity dwindling, it’s time we demand our government to take notice and take action.

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Why water pollution should be your focus

You may think that water pollution is a minor issue for our country, especially when there seems to be an endless list of things that need to change. However, water pollution impacts everything. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why clean seas should be your priority this election.

Local communities

Our blue spaces are vital for local communities. From sports and leisure to fishing and economies, whether we realise it or not, our lives are centered around the sea. 

Recently, many of these activities have ground to a halt. People are scared to swim in the seas because of the risk of illness, surfing lessons have been paused due to critical pollution levels, and our populations of fish and other wildlife are in decline. 

Our oceans bring us together and help our society function. If we don’t clean them up and enforce strict legislation to prevent future pollution, our way of life will change for the worse. 

Preserving wildlife

Our seas are teeming with abundant wildlife, and it’s something we should be incredibly proud of. Whether it’s the elusive basking shark or our stunning seals, we must celebrate the various species that the UK seas are home to.

As water quality decreases, so does the quality of life under the sea. Food chains will be disrupted, animals will be physically harmed by ingesting toxic substances, and both plant and animal species will become extinct.

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Creating thriving ecosystems

Raw sewage is full of bacteria, viruses, and damaging, toxic chemicals. These can promote the growth of certain algae that deplete oxygen levels in the ocean, killing fish and other species. 

The overgrowth of algae and new invasive species reduces the biodiversity of our oceans, which leads to the destruction of precious ecosystems. 

Without these ecosystems, we can expect a stagnation of healthy growth and development of our sea animals and plants. 

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SAS demands for the next government

We know we’ve painted a pretty bleak picture. But it’s the current reality. However, it doesn’t need to be. It’s not too late for change and that’s why we’ve created a manifesto that demands the next government take notice and take action. 

1. Enforce the law

While it’s easy to believe the correct laws aren’t in place to protect our seas, the UK actually has plenty of legislation designed to prevent water pollution. The issue is that it isn’t being enforced. 

This is due to a number of reasons, including:

• Environmental protection budgets being cut by 60% in the last decade
• Lack of Environment Agency staff
• Current fines and penalties being too small to impact big corporations

Some simple changes, like reinstating the resources that regulators need and ring fencing budgets, will help our laws become real deterrents, and we’ll see a change in attitudes toward our oceans. 

2. Stop pollution for profit

Despite countless untreated sewage discharges, water companies are still making huge profits. Their CEOs are walking away with eye-watering bonuses, despite the fines and penalties they have paid for their part in our pollution crisis. 

Alongside this, their shareholders are receiving dividend payouts, meaning instead of investing in safe and responsible practices and changes, they are choosing to cash out. 

Surfers Against Sewage have two main demands to fix this injustice:

• Cap CEO bonuses of 100% of salary

• Make dividend payouts dependant on compliance with environmental regulations and permits

3. Prioritise high risk pollution

A positive trend over the years has shown more and more people using public water spaces for activities like paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming, and surfing. It’s bringing communities together, getting people of all ages outside and in nature, and increasing awareness of the importance of protecting our oceans. 

However, it’s also becoming more and more common for warnings and alerts to be issued to deter people from entering the seas because of the risk of untreated discharges of sewage. 

Eventually, members of the public will refrain from entering our oceans at all due to the fear of contamination. We can’t let this happen. By 2030, we must see a complete end to untreated discharges affecting:

• Bathing waters
• Popular water usage areas
• High priority nature sites

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4. Empower a nature led approach

There is plenty we can do with nature itself to relieve the pressure on our outdated sewage systems. These include:

• Sustainable drainage systems
• Constructed wetlands
• Landscape restoration projects

These nature-led approaches are often incredibly cost efficient and have the added benefits of trapping carbon, improving biodiversity, and reducing flood risk.

We want the next government to take a nature-first approach, and rework our current system to incorporate the natural world.

5. Reveal the truth

For the public to be empowered, we need to know the truth. We need to know the extent of the damage already done and being done to our water spaces, both inland and coastal. 

To ensure this happens, we’re proposing these four changes:

• Accurate and accessible real-time water quality information: We deserve to know the conditions of our local water spaces so we can decide how to use them. Real-time, countrywide updates will make this possible.

• Transparent bathing water application process: There are thousands of passionate individuals and communities seeking inland bathing water status. Let’s make it as easy as possible for these applications to go through so we can see 200 inland bathing waters by 2030.

• Water quality testing that shows the full picture: Our current testing is inadequate. We need a world-leading bathing water testing regime that tests for emerging threats to humans, such as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, viruses, microplastics, and the effects pollution is having on the environment. 

• Transparency across the sewage system: All water treatment companies must be transparent about the quality of their treated sewage and not be able to go under the radar and avoid scrutiny.

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Teaching students about the election

At Plastic Free Schools, we’re all about empowering pupils with knowledge. The next generation is the key to slowing climate change and preventing further pollution, and it’s essential they know just how much their voice and actions can do. 

To help educators convey the importance of democracy to their students, we’ve created a wealth of brand new election resources. To get access, simply sign up for our Trash Mob. All you need to do is organize a cleanup event in your school, and you’ll receive a free folder full of:

• Activities to support teaching about democracy
• Guides on how to ask candidates questions about pollution and water quality
• Resources aimed at developing pupils’ voices

We hope this will give teachers all they need to inspire, motivate, and encourage students to take notice of this election and use it for real change. 

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FAQs

Why should you vote in the general election?

Every vote matters in the general election. The current state of our rivers and seas needs to change. Untreated sewage discharges are entering our waters and threatening the wildlife, the public, and the plants. You can demand change by voting in the general election.

How bad is water pollution in the UK?

Water pollution in the UK is a serious issue. In 2022 there were over 399,864 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers, and big corporations and water companies are not being held to account. 

What is the UK doing about water pollution?

Charities like Surfers Against Sewage are demanding an end to the water pollution issues in the UK. They have a proposed manifesto for the next general election that includes 5 key changes to the sewage systems to see a complete stop of untreated sewage discharges by 2030.

Final thoughts

This general election is our chance to come together and show the next government that we care about our seas, and demand that they must too. 

We need to end careless companies polluting our water and see the leaders of our country prioritise our natural world.