MP brokers meeting to help improve river management
Swan Lifeline Chair of Trustees, Dominic Smulders, recently attended a parliamentary meeting alongside local and national representatives to ensure that the voices of riverside communities are heard.
The discussion focused on improving navigation, safety, and flood management — and on how greater collaboration between agencies, businesses, and charities can help safeguard the Thames for everyone.
The meeting, hosted by Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo and attended by senior figures from the Environment Agency, British Marine, and local Thames associations, explored how to create a more coordinated approach to managing the non-tidal River Thames. Participants raised concerns about deteriorating river conditions, lack of maintenance, and the impact of flooding on moorings, jetties, and local livelihoods.
A healthy, well-maintained river is vital for wildlife, and we are already seeing the effects of changing river conditions in the swans we rescue and treat.
You can read the Henley Standard’s full coverage of the meeting here.
Photo Credit Henley Standard:
L-R: Dominic Smulders (Bray Marine Sales), Lesley Robinson (British Marine), Freddie van Mierlo MP (Henley), Sir Ed Davey (Leader, Liberal Democrats), Ian Lindsey (Lechlade Marine), Jonathan Hobbs (Henley), Clive Jones MP (Wokingham)
