The Office for Environmental Protection has called on the Government to take urgent action on progressing the environmental targets set out in the 25-year Environmental Improvement Plan and statutory targets set for the environment.

Speaking at the Westminster Forum's 'Next steps for protecting and managing England's natural capital' event on Tuesday, OEP Chair Dame Glenys Stacey referred to the OEP’s report in January assessing the prospects of meeting the 43 environmental targets and commitments which found that government is largely on track to achieve 9, partially on track to achieve 12 and and largely off track to achieve 20.

The report included a number of recommendations all aimed at helping government get on track - at that time the OEP warned that the window of opportunity for government to get on track was closing fast and a number of key targets were now very close.

She told attendess:

“We are now at an interesting point in time. The good intentions, the discussion and planning, the reviewing and assessing, must now be translated into urgent action and effective implementation….

“That window will soon slam shut.”

Commenting on the upcoming revised EIP which is due for publication after the summer, she said the new EIP should include effective prioritisation of actions, front loading efforts to have impact quickly, transparent delivery planning with actions linked to specific targets. “The plea I make above all others to Defra at this time is for transparency. We all need to see the homework - the working out - and the path to delivery so that we know the contributions that everyone is to make, and for effective accountability to Parliament,” she added.

She went on to describe the independent water commission led by Sir Jon Cunliffe as a major opportunity saying that the OEP advice centred on effective implementation, saying:

“It is our considered view that the widely anticipated failure to meet those 2027 targets under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) Regulations is, at least in significant part, the result of a failure to produce and apply specific plans, rather than a failure in the design of the regulations themselves.

“Should the Commission choose to recommend reform of these targets, or government wish to propose such amendments, targets set should be ambitious, long-term and legally-binding ‘apex’ targets that specify the environmental outcomes to be achieved, which should then be pursued through specific and timebound delivery plans, accompanied by review mechanisms.

“On the overarching framework for managing water, we believe there are some positive attributes under the WFD Regulations but there is also the opportunity to improve delivery and governance mechanisms in order to create the accountability needed to achieve intended outcomes across the wider framework for managing water.”

Dame Gelnys went on to say that the OEP welcomed the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill.and believed that much of what the Bill seeks to achieve would be beneficial, if well implemented.

However, she cautioned that environmental protections in the Bill should be strengthened, warning:

“It is our considered view, the bill as originally presented would have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection provided for by existing environmental law.”

She concluded by saying that four years into the OEP’s existence, a number of over-arching themes had emerged, including:

• The need to focus on and to drive effective implementation and clarity around delivery plans
• The need for evidence-based assessments of progress and evidence-based decisions
• The need for transparency and the lack of accountability if information is not available

Reiterating the OEP’s view that “the window for opportunity is closing fast”, according to the OEP Chair if important targets are missed, the failure to meet environmental targets must not go unrecognised.

If failures happen there must be acknowledgement of the significance, accountability for the failure and action taken to ensure that things get back on track, all of which should be dealt with transparently.