(by Karma Loveday) In the year to the end of March 2025, the Environmental Improvement Plan’s (EIP) third goal – for clean and plentiful water – remained largely off track. That was among the conclusions of the Office for Environmental Protection’s (OEP) fourth statutory report on the Government’s progress in delivering its EIP. Progress towards the water goal in the year, and past water trends, were mixed. The water story echoed that of the wider environmental picture (see t

(by Karma Loveday) Defra has reappointed Sarah Mukherjee and Mark Suthern to the Environment Agency board, to serve second terms of 12 months, starting 10 January.  Anglian Water has awarded the technical contracts to develop its two upcoming desalination plants, in Lincolnshire and Norfolk. TYPSA-Stantec, a joint venture (JV), supported by Acciona Agua, has been awarded the role of Primary Desalination Technical Partner (DTP), working with Anglian from January 2026. They

(by Karma Loveday) MOSL has published its draft business plan for 2026/27, for trading parties to comment on until 28 January. This set out five key programmes of work for the year:  Smart meter read hub Settlement strategy Strategic data programme Open data Modernisation of market systems. In addition, the plan outlined initiatives that will transition into core services during 2026/27, including the Market Performance Framework (MPF) Reform, the Bilaterals Hub and the Strat

(by Karma Loveday) Scottish Water was named Britain’s Most Admired water utility, in the annual survey of corporate reputation of the same name, run by Echo Research and the London Stock Exchange.  The water sector ranking was:  Scottish Water Northumbrian Water Anglian Water Severn Trent Yorkshire Water United Utilities Welsh Water Pennon Group Southern Water Thames Water  (Wessex Water and the water-only companies do not appear to have been included in the study).  In the s

(by Verity Mitchell) Portsmouth Water reported half-year results in late December. Turnover was up 19%, driven by allowed price increases and bulk water sales to Southern Water. Operating profit, post the pension non-cash accounting charge, was up 37.5% to £5.5m. No interim dividend for the current year has been declared. Total capital spending in the six-month period was £63.3m, compared to £37.4m in the prior period, up 69%. Capital expenditure on the Havant Thicket (HT) re

(by Karma Loveday) Ofwat will open the second Water Discovery Challenge tomorrow (20 January), for innovators from outside of the water sector to secure a share of a £7.5m pot, to progress new ideas for the sector.  Any UK-registered entity from any country or sector (there is no requirement for water company partnership or sponsorship) can compete to be one of 20 finalists, each receiving up to £100,000 in June 2026 as seed funding, plus a package of non-financial support an

(by Karma Loveday) A new £3.1m, two-year water efficiency fund for business customers in the Cambridge Water Resource Zone will launch in spring 2026. The scheme will pilot the provision of direct financial support to businesses, funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), to help reduce water use through water-saving products, projects, and on-site efficiency measures. The aim is to alleviate water resource pressures in Cambridge with measura

(by Verity Mitchell) Ahead of the Government’s White Paper on water reform, the UK Water Partnership published its own high-level paper discussing how to restore both river health and public trust. The recommendations in the report were to:  1 — Establish a unified strategic framework for river health Stakeholders with responsibility and accountability for river health should adopt a coordinated, three-pronged approach to: Define a shared ambition for the future state of the

(by Karma Loveday) Water company operating licences should be auctioned every five to ten years. That’s according to John Penrose, pro-market champion and former MP, and now chair of the Conservative Policy Forum. Writing for the Centre for Policy Studies’ CapX publication, Penrose argued: “The results of these auctions would be electric. Today’s slow, expensive, complicated negotiations between Ofwat and water firms would vanish, to be replaced by a quicker, cheaper, simpler

(by Karma Loveday) The latest State of the River Thames  report by conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has set out how decades of dedicated action have revived the capital’s river for people and nature – including harbour porpoises and wading birds. The report, an update to the first  The State of the Thames  published in 2021, used 21 different indicators to assess the health of the river. The improvements reported included: Lower concentrations of to