Regulators to step up engagement on water resource planning

Regulators in the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) partnership together with Defra are seeking more senior level engagement to support the development of robust regional water resource planning and to advance the water resources national framework.

In a letter, RAPID managing director, Paul Hickey, proposed:

• individual sessions with each regional group attended by regulation directors – representing the relevant water companies – and Ofwat’s chief regulation officer, David Black will focus on the links between regional plans and the price review process;

• a series of sessions with the Water UK EcoReg Policy Advisory Group to focus on how to address barriers associated with shared resource schemes including how to allocate costs, benefits and risks across companies, customers and other stakeholders as well as how to successfully incentivise the delivery, operation and procurement of these schemes; and

• senior sessions with the regional planning groups to hear about the development of the plans in spring of 2021 and again shortly before the first draft of the plans are published to hear how they add up and what this means for the strategic schemes and overall water company plans.

Hickey adde that regulators will also make senior time available to engage one to one with companies or regional groups encountering particular issues with the gated process or the development of their plans to identify and resolve issues early.