Devon County Council has stated its commitment to safeguarding the county’s rivers, recognising their vital role in ecology, heritage, and community wellbeing.
Councillors last week considered recommendations from our Cabinet in response to a Notice of Motion originally submitted by Councillor Jess Bailey (Independent, Otter Valley) calling for formal acknowledgement of the intrinsic rights of rivers in Devon.
The motion highlighted the importance of Devon’s waterways — including the Otter, Axe, Tamar, Dart, Exe, and Torridge — which support wildlife, livelihoods, recreation, and local economies.
It also warned of mounting threats from pollution, over-abstraction, habitat loss, and climate change.
Councillor Jess Bailey urged the Council to adopt principles from the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers, such as the right to flow naturally, remain free from pollution, and sustain biodiversity.
Following the debate at Full Council, the majority of Councillors voted in favour of the recommendations, to:
- Note the ongoing deterioration of river conditions in Devon and its impact on communities, economies, and the environment
- Urge collaboration among key stakeholders — including South West Water, the Environment Agency, landowners, and riparian owners — and lobby central government for decisive action
- Recognise the work of the newly formed water quality portfolio, which is reviewing data and practices to better understand the situation and coordinate efforts to improve river health
Councillor Bailey said:
“We talk about rivers as objects to be managed rather than living systems that sustain our health, our economy and our identity as a county.
“Rights of rivers is not a symbolic gesture, it’s a practical framework used elsewhere in the UK and internationally to shift decision making from what can we get away with to what is our duty of care.
“It means recognising a river’s right to flow, to be free from pollution, to support biodiversity and to be restored when damaged.
“By reinstating these rights we give clarity to regulators, utilities and land managers, that in Devon, the baseline is protection against, not toleration of, ongoing decline.
“It strengthens accountability. It strengthens community efforts and places Devon at the forefront of responsible environmental leadership.
“We are joining a growing practical movement across the UK that treats rivers as living systems with rights to be clean, to flow and to thrive.”
Councillor Paul Arnott, the Council’s Cabinet lead on water quality, said:
“Devon County Council will be unveiling a new pan-Devon water report in the new year, and is planning a major conference of all stakeholders next summer. I welcome this motion as part of our progressive and inclusive approach to the future of Devon’s water.”
