Other stories from last week

(by Karma Loveday)

British Water has opened its 2026 Water Company Performance Survey. Contractors, consultants and suppliers are invited to rate their water company clients across 12 key areas, including innovation, professionalism, contractual approach and communication. The survey is open until 10 July: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BW2026WaterCompanyPerformanceSurvey

Arup and The Rivers Trust have formed a strategic partnership to focus on scaling nature-based solutions (NBS) and embedding resilience into the UK’s water systems. They plan to demonstrate how NBS can be delivered at scale, while advancing regional systems planning to ensure resilience is considered from the outset. They will also contribute to shaping government policy and investment by evidencing effective, scalable approaches to resilience.

Environment Agency chair Alan Lovell will stand down at the end of December, following an extended time in post since September 2022. Defra will recruit a successor over the summer.

Ofwat has published a document setting out its initial regulatory approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption for the water sector. This offers clarity now, to support innovation and contribute to growth, and provides foundations for the new regulators in England and Wales to build on. Ofwat noted the document also marks the beginning of a more formal process to work more closely with water companies, other regulators and the wider sector to build a regulatory framework for AI.

The GMB’s annual congress in Blackpool last week called for workers to have a seat on the board of the new water regulator. This was intended “to safeguard from future failures” – notably, sewage discharges.

Defra’s interim permanent secretary and director general with national responsibility for water policy David Hill has been appointed as the first chief executive of the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation. The statutory instruments establishing the Development Corporation have been laid before Parliament. Subject to Parliamentary processes, the corporation will coordinate strategic delivery across Greater Cambridge – from community facilities and utilities to housing – with the aim of securing the region’s status as an engine of national growth.

Mike Davis is to succeed Shaun Spiers as Green Alliance chief executive, from September. Davis joins from investigative campaigning organisation Global Witness, where he worked for 23 years, the last six as its CEO.

Business Stream has met 20 of the 30 measures established to track progress against its Customer Care Charter, with six more in progress. The news came in the company’s first annual progress report on the charter, which was introduced in 2025. It set out 12 commitments to customers across four key areas: simple and easy; trust; experience and expertise; and care. Key milestones achieved included a 91% customer satisfaction score and an ‘excellent’ Trustpilot rating.

United Utilities has announced a £30m package of measures to make Liverpool more ‘spongy’ by transforming the way rainwater is managed. The programme will see a raft of blue-green interventions, including rain gardens, green roofs, urban wetlands and ‘greener’ playgrounds. 

UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) has restructured its governance model to align with the water reform agenda. Three specialised oversight committees have been established: a Products Committee, dedicated to the development and delivery of practical tools and services; a Research Committee, focused on advising, influencing, and holding to account the delivery, leverage, and application of rigorous, impartial research; and a Collaboration Committee, focused on expanding national and international partnerships, reinforcing UKWIR's role as the central platform for sector-wide collaboration.