New Clause 6
Greater London Authority Bill
10:30 am
Michael Gove (Shadow Minister (Housing), Communities and Local Government; Surrey Heath, Conservative)
It is entirely understandable that the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington should have risen at that point because when the clock stopped at five o’clock last week, he was frozen in the middle of what I considered to be an exemplary analysis of the requirement for the Mayor of London and the Greater London authority to have a water sewerage strategy.
Talking of things being frozen, many of us might remember that in April 2006 there was a magnificent ice sculpture on the other side of the Thames that contained galleries, a bar, an auditorium and, of course, a skating rink. To construct that magnificent ice sculpture and provide that tourist attraction, it was necessary to have 200,000 litres of water frozen. What was striking was that the water was not British, but had had to be imported from Canada simply to provide that attraction and amenity for London citizens. I mention that because London, like many parts of east and south-east England, is in the grip of an acute water shortage.
Just one month after we all enjoyed the ice installation, the Environment Agency pointed out that there is less water in London, per head of population, than in parts of the Sudan, Morocco, Egypt and Kenya. When one thinks of the water situation, particularly given the last couple of weeks, they are probably more inclined to think of flooding, inundation and the effect that they have on homes and other insured properties. Flooding is certainly a problem across the country, but the acute water shortage faced by Londoners is chronic and goes beyond seasonal alterations in rainfall.