Chesham MP made chair of new Chalk Streams All-Party Parliamentary Group

Sarah Green was elected at the group's inaugural meeting yesterday (15/07).

The Libdem MP and peers across the political spectrum are calling for Chalk Streams to be given special designated status under the Clean Water Bill, which was announced in King's Speech in May 2026.

The collective say that doing so would give a "uniquely vulnerable habitat" a level of legal recognition and protection reflective of its rarity and importance to England's natural heritage.

Chalk streams are a globally scarce habitat of which 85% are found in England, concentrated in Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset. Fed by naturally filtered groundwater, they support unique wildlife and have been compared to coral reefs in their ecological rarity. Despite their value, they are said to be critically threatened by over-abstraction, agricultural runoff and pollution, and current legal protections are widely regarded as inadequate to the scale of the risk.

Sarah Green was also elected alongside officers Lord Randall of Uxbridge, Peter Prinsley MP and Luke Murphy MP. The Group have also agreed to pursue a wider programme of reform, including stronger regulatory duties, improved regional water planning, abstraction reform, and support for catchment partnerships.

Commenting, Green said:

"For three consecutive parliamentary sessions, I have introduced the Chalk Streams (Protection) Bill, calling for a statutory category of protection for chalk streams against pollution, abstraction and environmental damage. Each time, the case has been clear. What has been lacking is the legislative vehicle to make it a reality.

The Clean Water Bill, announced in the King's Speech, has not yet been introduced to Parliament. This APPG exists to ensure that when it does, chalk streams are not overlooked again.

As I have said before: it should not just be down to committed campaigners to protect these rivers. It needs a statutory underpinning, which is what we are here to build.

I am delighted to be working with colleagues from the Wildlife Trust's Save Our Chalk Streams campaign as our secretariat. They bring formidable expertise and are already developing the policy proposals this group will advance."