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Approved Council motions 2026/27

Council meeting: Wednesday 13 May 2026 

Proposer: Councillor Griffin Seconder: Councillor Clegg 

Lead officer: Director of Policy and Programmes 

Chalk Stream Protection Motion 

There are around 250 chalk streams globally, the vast majority of which are located in southern and eastern England. The Vale of White Horse District is home to 5 notable chalk watercourses including Letcombe Brook that rises in Letcombe Bassett and then Lockinge Brook, Goddard’s Brook, Betterton Brook and Ginge Brook that rise to the east of Wantage. Chalk streams are globally rare and ecologically important. They provide a unique habitat for many species, but are in need of protection from pollution and over-abstraction.  

Council notes that:  

  • Our Council’s Plan 2025-29 places climate action and nature recovery at the heart of everything we do.  
  • We have a responsibility to protect the chalk streams that are defining features of our area’s natural heritage and contribute to biodiversity, flood mitigation and public wellbeing. 
  • Our council provides grant funding to the Letcombe Brook project to enable them to maintain the chalk stream from source through to where it joins Childrey Brook. The project provides management advice and practical help to the landowners along the brook corridor.  
  • Nationally chalk streams are under severe threat due to abstraction, pollution and run-off, modification and inappropriate development, invasive non-native species and climate change. 
  • Provisions included within the draft National Planning Policy Framework are not sufficiently strong to ensure the protection and enhancement of chalk stream habitats, currently only requiring consideration.  
  • Proposed amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to include protection for chalk streams were not included in the Act. 
  • The draft Oxfordshire Infrastructure Strategy (OxIS) includes an upgrade to the Wantage Sewage Treatment Works. Due to high levels of new housing the treatment works are already over capacity, resulting in frequent sewage discharges that put our chalk streams at risk. 
  • The Thames Water website currently states that they expect Wantage to meet all government targets for storm overflows by 2040-2045. 

Council resolves to: 

  1. Ask the leader to apply pressure to Thames Water to bring forward the upgrade of sewage treatment works that discharge into chalk streams, such as Wantage Sewage Treatment Works, and to publish the timescales of this work on their website. 
  1. Ask the Leader to write to the Secretary of State for MHCLG making the case to; Redefine chalk streams and their catchments as ‘irreplaceable habitats’, alongside ancient woodland; and to introduce an evidenced based minimum ‘no new development buffer’ around chalk streams. 
  1. Continue to provide financial support to independent/non profit organisations working to protect chalk streams and work with them to publicly promote the protection of chalk streams. 
  1. Ask the Joint Climate and Nature Advisory Committee to consider what actions can be taken to provide further support for all our chalk streams building on the work done with the Letcombe Brook Project.

Council meeting: Wednesday 13 May 2026 

Proposer: Councillor Cooke Seconder: Councillor Stevens 

Lead officer: Director of Policy and Programmes 

Motion On Targeted Consultations For The SESRO/”White Horse Reservoir” DCO Pre-Application Process 

Council notes that: 

  • This council passed a motion on 11 February 2026, citing the inadequacy of the Thames Water Statutory Public Consultation for their proposed reservoir near Abingdon, specifically in a number of areas in which wholly inadequate information was provided. 
  • These areas, which shall be described in this motion as “the Council’s defined areas of immediate concerns,” include: 
  • Flood risks – Fluvial and Groundwater 
  • Dam Breach analysis and Emergency Planning 
  • The viability and effects of Emergency Drawdown 
  • Water Quality in the Reservoir and water environment 
  • Biodiversity analysis and net gain proposals 
  • Construction and Logistics Strategy and related Community Impacts, including traffic effects and access and management of construction 
  • Security Implications of this unparalleled fully-bunded reservoir and major strategic asset 
  • Thames Water has not responded with a new Public Consultation and has indicated that they wish to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) in November of this year. 
  • DCOs typically aim to resolve contentious or unclear issues during the Pre-Application process.  Targeted Consultations are often used to effect this. 
  • Vale of White Horse District Council are the responsible Planning Authority for consultation in such a putative DCO.  The issues of inadequate information have been raised to councillors by many of our residents and we wish to represent them appropriately with clear and sufficient information for meaningful consultation. 
  • This Council notes the intention of Thames Water to use the name “White Horse Reservoir” for the site commonly known as SESRO.  Whilst this Council have not been not been consulted on and has neither endorsed nor supported this change of name, to avoid confusion this motion shall use the term “White Horse Reservoir” 

Council resolves to: 

  1. Ask the Leader to engage with Thames Water in respect to the White Horse Reservoir DCO Pre-Application Process and request Targeted Consultation to cover the Council’s defined areas of immediate concerns (as defined above) to assist the Council in contributing towards the DCO Adequacy of Consultation milestone report. 
  1. Ask the Leader to request the support of the Secretary of State for DEFRA, OFWAT, and the Environment Agency in obtaining such necessary Targeted Consultations. 
  1. Ask the Leader to write to all MPs representing parts of the Vale of the White Horse to inform them of our actions and to request their support in the above.