Membership organisations in water agree closer working

Eight water sector membership organisations have agreed to work more closely together and to collaborate around specific water-related challenges facing the UK.

The agreement is between:

• Association of Drainage Authorities

• British Dam Society

• British Water

• Future Water Association

• Institute of Water

• Sensors for Water Industry Group

• The UK Water Partnership

• Water Industry Forum

This followed a survey sent to 11 membership organisations active in the UK water sector (the above eight, together with the British Hydrological Society, The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association and UK Water Industry Research) which asked each organisation if there was any overlap or gaps between organisations, and whether the way membership organisations currently worked with each other could be improved for the benefit of both their members and the sector as a whole. This was funded by the Water Industry Forum and Arup.

The survey report included the following five findings.

1. The majority of respondents believe that there is overlap between the various membership organisations operating in the UK water sector.

2. Some respondents also believe that there are gaps in the existing coverage of the various UK membership organisations.

3. The great majority of respondents think that greater collaboration and/or a "coming together" of UK water membership organisations would be beneficial with improved funding, more impactful lobbying, less overlapping initiatives and rationalisation of events being cited as benefits.

4. All respondents who expressed a view would like to see a more integrated and coherent UK presence internationally.

5. Most respondents were happy for details of how they described their organisations to be openly shared as a "guide" to UK water sector membership organisations.