Please see the recent urgent message from British Association for Shooting and Conservation .

https://basc.org.uk/united-utilities-falling-short/.

If you agree that Water Companies should not play at politics or seek to destroy the way of life in the country side please make your polite condemnation clear to the lady’s inbox.

Thanking you in anticipation ,

Parabola

Field sports Britain had a good segment on the decision last night. The number of leases involved is like 30. All expiring within 5 years.

That is an enormous negative effect on country side employment and income.

And the MP decrying it sounded like a doof playing a broken record.

Was there any explanation offered as to what purpose would be served by the cancellation of the leases? Discarding the revenue from the leases would seem like throwing away free money. Is there some greater plan or just a whim to ....... What?

I do not want to jump to conclusions but it sounds suspiciously like a UK version of pious woke corporate virtue signaling. However, it is difficult to fight a utility (unlike Anheuser-Busch) unless government gets involved.

As someone pointed out it may be a smokescreen to deflect opinion that they have been found to be one of the worst environmental polluters of waterways under their jurisdiction with sewage discharge into rivers. I used to have shooting rights in the Goyt Valley which is in their domain. They set about ruining it by walling around any woodlands with high walls toped with barbed wire some years ago; something about conservation they said. Nothing other than something that flew could get in or out (or maybe grey squirrels) as there were no access gates or anything. That meant that the deer that were there had nowhere to go for cover. I don't know what will happen to the grouse shooting farther up the valley. Something I will try to find out. Some further up is owned by Lord Derby but he must also lease a fair proportion from United Utilities. The Gamekeepers there keep the foxes down and I know one Farmer who keeps sheep on land leased from them who will not be happy come lambing time! Lagopus.....

United Utilities is the owner of 141,000 acres. So this is a major change.

It is another slash at life in the countryside.
One would think they would quit beating on the endangered species bird list. No one actually cares.
The anti's or "Sabs" seem to have deep support in their society and government.
And somehow have convinced people that growing pine trees in rows is a better way than managed heather moorland.
Better get it while you can, it's going away soon.