(by Karma Loveday) A Water Smart Growth Board has been set up to support the delivery of sustainable housing growth through better, more integrated water management across England. Co-chaired by the Government and property developer Thakeham's chief executive Rob Boughton, the board brings together senior leaders from the Government, the housing sector, water industry, regulators, environmental bodies, academia and practitioners to drive ‘water-smart’ new homes: resilient, wa

(by Karma Loveday) The 2025 Event Duration Monitoring returns published by the Environment Agency show significant reductions in spill events. Storm discharge numbers fell by 35% to 291,492 in 2025 compared to 2024, and total monitored spill duration fell by 48%. There was also a 20% reduction in average duration per spill event . Reporting the data, the Environment Agency said: “Much of this improvement reflects unusually dry conditions in 2025 following a particularly wet 2

(by Karma Loveday) The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published a damning report for Defra and its environmental regulators, which expresses scepticism about their ability to manage upcoming reform and deliver the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection. Environmental regulation noted that Defra, the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural England are changing the way they regulate in response to 149 recommendations from multiple independent reviews. But:

(by Verity Mitchell) Rating agency S&P’s regulatory assessment of water companies in England and Wales is now strong/adequate. According to a new report, it sees a weakening of regulatory and financial stability and a risk of reduced regulatory independence. It considers that only a few companies will be able to create a sustainable competitive advantage. Although S&P continues to view the tariff-setting process for water utilities in England and Wales as transparent and supp

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat has launched a new Major Water Infrastructure Programme combined gated process that brings together RAPID’s oversight of early water infrastructure project development and Ofwat’s major projects team's regulation of later stage project delivery. The new programme contains 30 large-scale water infrastructure projects which will be delivered over the next 15 years. The projects included are RAPID Strategic Resource Options and/or projects meeting the cr

(by Karma Loveday) The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has published a set of recommendations from the expert group it convened in July 2025, which provides a framework of governance principles to underpin safe water reuse. Specifically, the framework will allow the use of rainwater and greywater for specific applications where drinking water quality is not needed (such as toilet flushing or garden watering), whilst ensuring the drinking water supply is protected from cross

(by Karma Loveday) Businesses and organisations in the Cambridge Water Resource Zone will be able to apply for grants of between £500 and £100,000 for water saving projects between 13 April and 1 May.   The £1.6m Water Efficiency Cambridge Fund (weCB) is provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and administered by MOSL, and seeks to reconcile the city’s water scarcity with its growth ambitions. The fund is open to businesses, charities and other o

(by Karma Loveday) Today, Water UK and the English water companies launch a national campaign to raise awareness of the unprecedented level of investment being ploughed into water and wastewater infrastructure between 2025 and 2030, and the benefits this will bring. ‘The Big Upgrade’ campaign will use billboard, hoarding, audio, social and digital channels to bring first-of-its-kind cohesion to individual water company communications about their investment programmes. Followi

(by Karma Loveday) Water bills have risen — and will stay high for the foreseeable future — not only to cater for growth, a changing climate, higher standards and ageing assets, but also because it is no longer possible or legitimate to use natural services for nothing. That’s according to a report out last week from the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) and  The UK Water Report. Water in transition: rising costs and the decline of free environmental services  

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat has published guidance for water companies on adhering to the new Fitness and Propriety Rule . It said it would consider each firm’s approach to the guidance when assessing compliance.  The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has launched a manifesto ahead of the Holyrood elections in May, calling on the next Scottish government to develop a long-term Infrastructure 2050 strategy for Scotland , as part of a package of governance, inves