Senior water demand reduction group winds up, pointing to policy and regulatory inaction

Amid drought, the chair of the Senior Water Demand Reduction Group (SWDRG) for England, Nicci Russell, has announced the group has been wound up.

Commissioned by Defra, the multi-stakeholder group provided a wide-ranging suite of recommendations in December 2021 to drive water demand down. These recommendations were subsequently prioritised in May 2022 following a request from Defra. The group was clear that existing commitments would not be sufficient to deliver the scale of demand reduction needed to meet future challenges.

Commenting on the closure announcement, Russell said: “Unfortunately, against the advice of the Group, the former Minister [Rebecca Pow] told us that she believes measures already in train in England will be enough to tackle the deficit. Similarly, we have seen little evidence of Ofwat engaging with the Group’s recommendations for its own regulation, particularly in setting the next price review for water companies through PR24.

“We are right in the heart of climate change this summer, seeing it with our own eyes and in our own dry lawns. Without further action, this will only get worse. Water companies, government and regulators all have a role to play – as do all of us at home and at work. It won’t work if every party doesn’t do more than they’re doing already.”

The press release announcing the end of the group noted too: “The SWDRG consistently noted the absence of any budget for it to commission new work, in contrast with the significant budget allocated to RAPID to drive supply-side measures – despite the fact that demand management is expected to make up a larger part of England’s water needs in the near and further future.”

Russell emphasised that SWDRG members remain committed to the cause, and that her own organisation, Waterwise, will be launching its new UK Water Efficiency Strategy for the UK in September. MOSL chief executive Sarah McMath has been appointed as chair of the new UK Water Efficiency Steering Group.