Eco Chamber

On 7 May, Labour lost control of the Welsh Senedd for the first time in history. In Scotland, it recorded its worst ever result at a Scottish Parliamentary election, and in England, Labour lost 1,496 councillors as Reform UK and the Green Party made huge gains. As the government sets out its legislative agenda in the King’s Speech this week, we ask what the political upheaval might mean for environmental policy.With resignations from Labour MPs and ministers including, Miatta Fahnbulleh the housing minister, Jess Phillips the safeguarding minister, Alex Davies-Jones the victims' minister, health minister Zubir Ahmed, and Tom Rutland, the parliamentary private secretary to DEFRA secretary Emma Reynolds, pressure is mounting on the prime minister to resign. If he does, could we see environmental policy zombified as the government tries to get to grips with the in-fighting?To find out, ECO Chamber host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report editor Jamie Carpenter speak with special guest Isabella Gornall, the founder of the communications and lobbying agency Seahorse Environmental and former environmental advisor to Zac Goldsmith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the team takes stock of the resignation of South East Water’s non-executive chair, Chris Train, who resigned following a damning report over the company’s leadership by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee. But the MPs are not finished yet. On this week’s ECO Chamber, podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report senior reporter Shosha Adie sit down to discuss why the committee also wants South East Water’s chief executive, David Hinton, to step down. The team also discusses news that the House of Lords will not be debating the subject of the natural environment in the wake of the King’s Speech. PLUS: The rise of pharmaceutical pollution in honey potentially caused by sewage sludge, the tens of thousands of tonnes of shredded waste dumped on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a former NRW board member rejected from running for Reform UK The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the team takes stock of the thousands of people challenging  the giant poultry processor Avara Foods Limited, its subsidiary Freemans of Newent Limited, and the water company Welsh Water over pollution in the rivers Wye, Lugg, Usk and related tributaries. The Wye catchment area is home to 24 million chickens, and lawyers are set to argue that the problem revolves around pollution from this chicken manure running off into the protected river. On this week’s ECO Chamber, podcast host James Agyepong-Parsons and ENDS Report deputy editor Tess Colley sit down to discuss the legal challenge and what’s at stake. The team also discusses the findings of a new report suggesting that Natural England has decided to freeze its work on SSSI designations. PLUS: The Environmental Audit Committee’s PFAS risks warnings, new guidance on greenhouse gas emission assessments, and a fresh warning that the UK’s growing hazardous waste pile is growing and the country lacks the “long-term storage” needed for the future. The ECO Chamber is brought to you by journalists at ENDS Report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.