Witney MP Charlie Maynard has won a national award recognising his legal challenge to Thames Water and its £3 billion restructuring plan.
Maynard received the Rivers & Seas Award at the 2026 Political Purpose Awards at the House of Commons on Tuesday 08 September, after being shortlisted alongside Labour MPs Lloyd Hatton and Terry Jermy.
The Liberal Democrat was recognised for his intervention in the Thames Water restructuring case, in which he represented the public interest and the interests of customers.
In February 2025, Maynard intervened in the High Court proceedings over Thames Water’s proposed £3 billion restructuring plan. He subsequently appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal, acting on behalf of more than 25 parliamentarians and 34 charities, as well as water customers.
The High Court approved the restructuring plan in February 2025, despite arguments that the company’s financial difficulties should instead lead to special administration. The Court of Appeal subsequently dismissed the broader appeals against the plan, although it overturned protections for Thames Water’s directors and advisers.
The legal challenge attracted particular attention in Oxfordshire because of the condition of rivers including the Windrush and upper Thames, which have become prominent in local campaigns over sewage pollution and water quality.
Maynard has also campaigned against sewage discharges and worked with fellow Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron on amendments to the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025.
James Wallace, chief executive of River Action UK, presented the award. He said Maynard had gone beyond lobbying regulators by taking the water company’s finances into court.
John Higginson, founder and chief executive of Higginson Strategy, said Maynard had taken on a major company on behalf of the rivers alongside which his constituents live.
The Political Purpose Awards are organised by Nature 2030, a campaign run by environmental public affairs agency Higginson Strategy. The awards recognise politicians and campaigners who have worked on environmental issues.
Other winners this year included Labour MP Jim Dickson, who received the Wildlife Crime Prevention Award, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd member Jane Dodds, who won the Animal Welfare Award, and author and campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor, who was named Campaigner of the Year.
Maynard’s Thames Water intervention was ultimately unsuccessful in overturning the restructuring plan, but the Court of Appeal judgement recognised his role as a public-interest participant in the case.
