(by Karma Loveday) Fire chiefs have warned of growing risks to public safety from insufficient water supplies. In a new position statement on Water Supplies for Firefighting, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) urged that water for firefighting to be recognised as a critical public safety requirement. It also argued that fire and rescue services should be formally recognised as key stakeholders in the future regulation and planning of the water sector. This followed resea

(by Verity Mitchell) United Utilities (UU) has issued a pre-close trading statement confirming its guidance for the current year to March 2027. It remains on track to deliver £2bn of capital investment and continues to target regulatory return in the range of 10-11%. Management has responded to Ofwat’s cost change decision, seeking additional support for investment to enhance network resilience, provide additional water and wastewater services to the North West and enable eco

(by Karma Loveday) A strike ballot will open today, running until 19 October, for Ofwat staff who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) trade union. This is an escalation of a dispute that has arisen because of lack of clarity for Ofwat workers since the Cunliffe Commission recommended, and Government accepted, that the regulator should be abolished, as a key plank of the water reform agenda. PCS called for: Retention of civil service status and rights. No r

(by Karma Loveday) As the Labour Party conference continues in Liverpool this week, ministers are expected to set out more thinking on ‘public control’ and how water should be run and financed, as part of an agenda to drive long-term public good from essential services. Mayoral control / public benefit companies / public ownership: A potential frontrunner policy is that turf rolled in The Telegraph a couple of weeks ago: that nine new regional bodies will be created (as prop

(by Karma Loveday) Natural England has published for consultation until 27 October the first Environmental Delivery Plan (EDP) deploying the new Nature Restoration Fund. The scheme will see developers fund large scale improvements to rivers and wetlands in Norfolk to more than offset the nutrient pollution that will be created by the construction and habitation of 15,780 new homes in the county. Instead of remediating impact at site level, developers will pay a levy which Nat

(by Karma Loveday) The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) reported the largest ever year-on-year increase in customer complaints, against the backdrop of steep bill rises. Household complaints to water companies climbed by 56% to 321,347 in 2025-26 from 205,853 in 2024-25. Complaints escalated to CCW surged by 84% in 2025-26, up to 15,115 from 8,235 in the previous year. The watchdog said the sharp rise was primarily linked to costs and bills: complaints to water firms about bi

(by Karma Loveday) Defra’s decision to exclude ownership models from the Independent Water Commission’s (IWC) remit looks set to be revisited by the new government. Water minister Emma Hardy told Parliament last week: “I have always wanted to introduce a water Bill that meets the political moment and the public appetite for change. I am delighted that it feels that we are closer to that. The change in prime minister has opened up options that were previously not available… mo

(by Karma Loveday) The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) is consulting until 13 October on its draft corporate plan for 2027-33, which will coincide with around £8bn of investment in water services planned under the Strategic Review of Charges for the same period. The plan identified four areas of focus for WICS – ensuring customers pay no more than necessary, holding Scottish Water to account, improving the non-household retail market and running WICS efficiently

(by Karma Loveday) The White Horse Reservoir Growth Coalition was launched last week at a Parliamentary event, to publicly back the £6.6bn reservoir and to call for it to be granted Critical National Priority status. This would put the project on a level playing field with nationally significant energy projects, helping to remove planning barriers and accelerate delivery. The coalition unites organisations from across the South East, spanning a range of sectors including tech

(by Karma Loveday) Devon & Cornwall and East Anglia are expected to still be in drought by the start of April 2027 under the most likely rainfall scenario. That was among the projections emerging from last week’s National Drought Group meeting, where the Environment Agency presented potential rainfall scenario data for the coming seven months. For all areas to come out of drought – that is when rivers, groundwaters and reservoirs are back to normal levels – we need another we