Leader’s Statement: South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO)

Issued 4 September 2024

Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “I’m deeply disappointed the Secretary of State, Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, has signed off Thames Water’s Water Resources Management Plan. This plan sets out a strategy to provide supply of water to the South East for the next fifty years and supports the needs case for a new large reservoir in Oxfordshire, near Abingdon, however the council believes there are other options that could achieve this.

“I wrote to the Secretary of State back in July, setting out our concerns. I had hoped to arrange a meeting to call for the whole process to be paused – so the news this week regarding this decision is incredibly frustrating as we had wanted to put our case to him.

“We remain opposed to these proposals, and this news makes taking a stand against this much more challenging, but we will continue to do what is within our limited power. It seems remarkable that Thames Water remains fixated on pushing ahead with this environmentally disastrous plan without properly exploring much more sensible and effective options.

“We submitted our response to Thames Water’s public consultation in August, reaffirming our objections and we will continue to represent our residents and urge water providers, regulators and government to listen to local voices and reject these plans.”