Government seeks views on priorities for Ofwat

The UK Government is inviting views on its strategic priorities for Ofwat’s regulation of the water sector in England. The Department for Food, Environment & Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched […]

The UK Government is inviting views on its strategic priorities for Ofwat’s regulation of the water sector in England.

The Department for Food, Environment & Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched a consultation on a new Strategic Policy Statement (SPS), which has been drafted to have regard to the water regulator’s statutory duties, social and environmental matters.

It will replace the previous SPS that was issued to Ofwat in 2013.

Some of the priorities set out by Defra include challenging the water sector to plan and invest to meet the needs of customers, reducing long term risk to water supply resilience and working with water companies to ensure they assess the resilience of their system and infrastructure against potential hazards and threats.

A Defra spokesperson said: “We are committed to improving the long term resilience of our water supplies and protecting the most vulnerable customers.

“Water companies are already taking steps to manage the increasing pressure from climate change and population growth but we expect to see further action to reduce demand for water, tackle leakage and increase water trading and transfers.”

The consultation closes on 11th April.

More than 1.2 million eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations in England will be able to choose who they pay for their retail water and wastewater services starting next month.

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