How partnership and collaboration can deliver real change for Windermere

The Love Windermere Partnership works on the principle that lasting change is only possible when campaigners, the water industry, and partners can unite around a common goal. Pulling together, rather than pulling apart, is how we are tackling the complex challenges facing Windermere delivering measurable, positive outcomes for the lake and everyone who cares about it.

While we may not always agree on every issue, we share the same ambition: a healthier Windermere for everyone to enjoy.

The Role of Campaigners

Campaigners raise awareness of a whole range of issues that affect the public, and the accountability of public bodies who spend public money. They have played a vital role in highlighting the challenges facing Windermere. With that awareness now firmly established, the focus is on turning concern into practical action. That is exactly why the Love Windermere Partnership exists: to coordinate long-term, evidence-based solutions and deliver meaningful improvements.

The Challenges Facing Windermere

Windermere faces multiple pressures. Wastewater is one factor, alongside land and urban runoff, climate change, private sewage treatment (including septic tanks), recreation, and wider land use. Our partnership focuses on the full picture so we can deliver the most effective solutions. No one organisation can fix Windermere alone, which is why we’ve come together to work as one team with one plan.

Taking Real Action

Public interest in water quality is positive and helps drive action. We share people’s concerns and are working every day to enhance the health of Windermere.

Our recently launched Action Plan sets out 33 commitments from nine organisations. These commitments ask partners to deliver coordinated actions across the catchment, above and beyond their individual organisational plans and requirements, to tackle the complex environmental pressures facing Windermere. Work has already begun, with over 58% of these practical improvements underway across the catchment.

Collaboration and Roles

Working collaboratively enables us to find a route through issues where the solutions fall across and between a number of organisations. By combining expertise, legal powers, and community knowledge, we can tackle pollution from all sources and achieve measurable improvements. The ‘Only Rainwater into Windermere’ feasibility project is a great example of collaboration. Here, United Utilities, Lake District National Park Authority, Love Windermere, Environment Agency, Save Windermere and Westmorland & Furness Council are joining forces to understand what rainwater only going into Windermere means.

Transparency and Accountability

Each of the nine organisations in the Partnership has a distinct role to play. The Partnership includes several public bodies with wider regulatory and statutory roles where they use their powers to assess compliance with legally required standards etc. For example, the Environment Agency implements the regulations and environmental standards set by government to protect the environment. Discussions and decision making in delivering these roles are never held within the Partnership.

Separate to statutory and regulatory accountability, the partnership holds each other to account on the design and delivery of our action plan through agreed governance structures. This includes being fully committed to transparency — our work is based on science and informed by public feedback. Regular drop-in sessions, open to anyone to attend, invites robust discussion. We welcome this and all scrutiny because it drives meaningful change and helps us achieve our shared goal of a cleaner, healthier Windermere.

Looking Ahead

Love Windermere is focused on long-term, science-led improvements to enhance the health of Windermere. We value the huge public interest in water quality and know constructive engagement with communities, campaigners, and partners is delivering real, measurable change.

Partnership gives us all the opportunity to take part, make our contribution and deliver evidence-based solutions so Windermere is a beautiful and healthy place for generations to come.