We rely on water every day and in many different ways. In a rapidly changing climate it is vital to ensure there is clean and plentiful water for everyone who lives, works and plays in an area, all without harming rivers, estuaries, lakes and seas. In 2021, Involve worked with the Environment Agency to run three citizens' juries across the UK on the future of water management. Each jury took a local approach to a national issue.
The Rethinking Water Citizens' Juries were held in three locations across the UK: Lower Tyne, Ilkely and Thames. Each jury brought together 22 randomly selected and demographically representative members of the public. The three citizens' juries took place place online between January - March 2021.
The Rethinking Water citizens' juries explored the question:
How do you connect with water in your local environment, and what needs to be changed in the future to benefit people and wildlife?
At each jury, members listened to evidence and discussed issues together to develop a set of recommendations. The juries' recommendations were presented to the Environment Agency board and will inform the Environment Agency's developing approach to water management locally and nationally. The recommendations will also be used by The Water Hub to help develop new research and innovation.
You can read more information about the outcomes of the 2021 juries by clicking here.
Rethinking Water 2022
Involve has been comissioned by the Environment Agency to continue the Rethinking Water public engagement work in 2022. We will be running two new citizens' juries in March 2022. We are looking forward to continue this exciting work and will update this webpage with more information soon.
For more information about the Rethinking Water Citizens' Juries, please email Maddie: [email protected]
