Political row brewing over Shrewsbury river pollution meeting

Daniel Kawczynski MP has raised his concerns about a public meeting that Shrewsbury Town Council has organised at Theatre Severn on February 27.

In a letter to the town council Mr Kawczynski asked "what jurisdiction the town council has over river quality".

He applauded the work of the River Severn Partnership and says he has worked closely with them to secure Government funding "to find a holistic solution to managing this river".

Mr Kawczynski also chairs the caucus of 40 MPs whose constituencies have the Severn flowing through them.

The MP has faced protests and criticism by campaigners who have accused him of voting to allow sewage to be released into the river. Blue plaques have also been created in town bearing his name and there is a Twitter campaign against him.

In his letter Mr Kawczynski says: "I am deeply concerned by some of your councillors' public statements and the misinformation they are giving to constituents.

"I believe for a truly transparent and effective public meeting to take place on such an important issue, it should be attended by the three statutory bodies responsible for this river and, ultimately, regulatory standards pertaining to all environmental factors."

Mr Kawczynski adds that he wants to be "absolutely clear" that sewage discharge into our rivers is unacceptable.

"I can assure you that the Government is tackling the problem of sewage in rivers with tough and effective new measures."

He then goes on to extensively detail what the Government is doing, including a new legal duty for managing and developing the sewerage system over 25 years.

Environmental campaigners and opponents of the Conservative Government have been accusing individual Tory MPs of not acting fast enough to clean up the rivers.

Defenders of the Government say that fixing problems in Shrewsbury's Victorian sewerage system immediately would be hugely costly to taxpayers and people who pay the water bills, as well as being massively disruptive as they would have to dig up streets around the town's central loop.

Councillor Alan Mosley, the Labour leader of Shrewsbury Town Council has replied to Mr Kawczynski's letter on behalf of the authority. He has repeated the invitation to the MP to attend.

Councillor Mosley told the Shropshire Star: "A wide mix of spokespersons have been invited, including a number of statutory agencies, user representatives, resident groups and expert professionals.

“This is a meeting focussed on the local problems identified in our original motion and is about helping residents gain a greater understanding of the issues involved, whilst voicing any concerns they may have and playing their part in the development of potential solutions.

“I am very open to hearing more about Government proposals and the reaction of residents.

"I think I share some reservations as it seems that we have a serious and growing problem and we must ensure that actions are not ‘too little, too late'.

“Given the content of his letter it seems of great importance that the MP attends, to pass on the information and discuss the impact with his constituents.

"I would have thought that he would greatly welcome the opportunity to connect with a theatre full of his constituents and many more who will join online.

"He will better understand the issues perceived by a very large number of residents and be able to give an account of how he, and his Government, is responding and representing them.”