Council accuses agency of ‘failing the people of Henley’

THE Environment Agency has been condemned by the town council for “failing the people of Henley”.

Councillors voted unanimously to pass a motion of censure of the watchdog at the meeting of the full council on Tuesday.

The motion, which is a formal statement of extreme disapproval, was proposed by Mayor Rory Hunt after what he saw as a failure of the agency to carry out its duties.

The council has criticised the agency on several fronts, including inadequate regulation of Thames Water, a failure to maintain or repair public rights of way, delays in responding to planning applications, and insufficient policing of the river.

Additionally the council has also accused the agency of impolite, unhelpful or noncommittal responses to concerns raised by town councillors and Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo regarding planning applications and the ongoing closure of the Marsh Lock Horsebridge.

The motion calls on the agency’s chief executive, Philip Duffy, to publicly apologise and rectify the issues immediately.

The council, which declared a climate and a nature emergency in May this year, says the agency “shares some of the responsibility for the serious deterioration in river water quality”.

It said that while the agency police the river during Henley Royal Regatta there was minimal or no policing of the river during the remainder of the year.

It said: “This lack of oversight leads to both public safety and ecological concerns. There have been several problems of excessive speeding by large vessels and skippers of vessels either intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, and/or navigating in a dangerous manner.

“There have also been some safety incidents on the river, including a single sculler from Upper Thames Rowing Club being hit by a powerboat who was navigating improperly.”

Councillor Kellie Hinton said she was happy to support the motion. She said: “There are many failings of the Environment Agency and it’s about time that they took some ownership of those problems, took some accountability and started to fix them. Simple as that.”

Councillor Ian Reissmann agreed that the proposal was “entirely necessary”. He said: “If other councils, other organisations continue to pass motions and apply pressure, the pressure should build up and eventually the failing nature of the Environment Agency should be addressed.”

The motion was welcomed by chair of Greener Henley, Kate Oldridge, who said the group stands “in full support” of action to hold organisations to account.

She said: “Like many here, Greener Henley is very concerned with the Environment Agency’s response to critical local issues, from inadequate oversight of Thames Water to insufficient protection of our rights of way and waterways.

“While the issues outlined in the motion affect Henley, they also affect broader systemic challenges in environmental governance and enforcement.”

Town clerk Sheridan Jacklin-Edwards is to write a letter to the agency informing it of the resolution.