(by Karma Loveday) Defra has created the role of senior advisor to the secretary of state on water reform transition – to “lay the foundations for the new regulator then hand over responsibilities to the chair-designate”. In the terms of reference (ToR) for the position, the department said the advisor will provide strategic leadership, advice, guidance and support on the design of the new regulator, and provide expert knowledge to support the transition. The appointee is acc

(by Karma Loveday) UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) has released a framework aimed at tackling the lack of a unified approach to quantifying and valuing asset health across the sector. The collaborative research body said its Common Definition & Calculation of Asset Health Framework provides the first practical roadmap for how asset health should be defined, measured and used, helping water companies build a clearer and more joined-up picture of asset performance over time.

(by Karma Loveday) The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) have endorsed the appointment of Dame Helen Ghosh as chair of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). A pre-appointment hearing was held last week. In a joint report, the MPs noted: “It is essential that Dame Helen continues to reinforce her and the OEP’s independence from Government, given our concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process. Dam

(by Karma Loveday) WICS will not take formal enforcement action against Water Plus, after the investigation it launched in November 2025 into licence condition breaches concluded these were minimal and have been addressed. The breaches related to transfer meter reads, default standards payments, the early termination of fixed-term contracts, and the required duration of the cooling off period as stipulated by the Code of Practice. The regulator found the problems to be the re

(by Verity Mitchell) The Utility Regulator has published its cost and performance review for Northern Ireland Water (NI Water) for 2022-2024. This compares the company’s performance with that agreed for the current regulatory period, PC21 (2021-2027). This does not reflect the mid-term review undertaken by the regulator, which will define the updated standards required for the final years of PC21, which has now been extended until 2028. NI Water broadly met regulatory expecta

(by Verity Mitchell) United Utilities (UU) has raised £800m from long-term UK and international investors to help fund £2.5bn of additional proposed investment by 2030 to cater for growth. The company pointed out that government housebuilding targets for the North West have increased by 66,000 homes since the current programme was agreed in 2024, and new demand is also emerging from expanding industries such as data centres and clean energy. UU has submitted an initial packag

(by Karma Loveday) South East Water’s chair, Chris Train, resigned with immediate effect on Friday, as the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee published a scathing report on the company and its handling of recent supply outages. The board has initiated a search for a new chair, with Lisa Clement – currently an independent non-executive director and chair of the Audit and Risk Committee – holding the fort in the interim. Meanwhile, the South East Water board r

(by Karma Loveday) The Government should urgently restrict non-essential uses of PFAS, as well as enforce a polluter pays clean-up policy for remediation and invest in forever chemical destruction technologies. That’s according to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), in a new report: Addressing the risks from Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). The Committee concluded the Government’s new PFAS Plan disproportionately focuses on expanding PFAS monitoring,

(by Karma Loveday) Moody’s has downgraded Wessex Water from Baa1 with negative outlook to Baa2 with stable outlook. The ratings agency said, in its view, Wessex would be unable to maintain credit ratios consistent with the previous Baa1 rating in light of the final Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) settlement: “Assuming that Wessex Water performs in line with the CMA's redetermination, we forecast that the company will achieve an adjusted interest coverage ratio (AICR)

(by Verity Mitchell) Moody's Ratings has affirmed the Baa1 rating of Northumbrian Water but has changed the outlook to stable from negative. This followed the announcement by Northumbrian Water Group, parent company of Northumbrian Water, of a £400m equity injection from its shareholders. Moody’s also considered the positive impact the final redetermination of tariffs by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), published in March. The change reflects Moody’s expectation t