Why is our water sector broken?

Is our water system broken? The interim report from the Independent Water Commission says so.  “Irresponsible owners, poor leadership, low investment and ineffective prioritisation,” reports the House of Commons’ Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. The scale of the challenge facing regulators is huge, says the National Audit Office. And consumer trust in the water industry is at an all time low.  

What will it take to put it right? 

Join Committee Corridor host, Toby Perkins MP as he sits down with the environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey to work out what’s gone wrong. Informed and incensed, Feargal is clear about the options ahead for water companies and regulators. 

After questioning 10 of England and Wales’ water and sewerage companies, the EFRA Committee Chair, Alistair Carmichael MP, explains how the sector has forgotten its core functions to provide water and sewerage services to the public and to protect the environment. 

There’ll be no let-up in parliamentary scrutiny as the Public Accounts Committee will report in the coming months.  Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP relates what shocked his committee most about the recent NAO report on the sector and how low levels of consumer trust are not surprising while bills rise and the performance of companies falls.  

Find out more about the inquiries and reports mentioned in this episode: 

Current work by the Environmental Audit Committee  

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: Priorities for water sector reform 

Public Accounts Committee: Water sector regulation  

National Audit Office: Regulating for investment and outcomes in the water sector 

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