The government plans for reform in the Water White Paper have so far received a series of mixed responses this morning – ranging from a whole-hearted welcome, cautious optimism and disappointment.

Chris Walters, Ofwat interim CEO, said:

“We welcome the government’s White Paper and its direction for the future of the water sector. The creation of a new water regulator for England will bring a renewed focus, improve the sector for customers, investors and the environment, and rebuild trust.”

In an initial response to the white paper, Sam Gould, director of policy and external affairs at the Institution of Civil Engineers said:

“Introducing a Chief Engineer role as part of the new water regulator puts engineering expertise at the heart of the sector. This is necessary to address complex issues that the industry’s grappling with, like sewage spillage, decarbonisation, and maintaining ageing assets.

“Taking an MOT approach to water infrastructure will offer reassurance to the public that clean water supply is a top priority for companies. Smart metering and efficiency labels on white goods will also help people manage bills, which is never bad news.

“Although the industry will need time to digest the details of the government’s white paper in detail, the ICE welcomes these flagship intentions.”

Mike Keil, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said that the recent disruption inflicted on people in parts of Sussex and Kent in recent weeks underlined why meaningful change in the way water companies are regulated and treat their customers is desperately needed. Closer and more thorough scrutiny of how companies are maintaining their networks would be a welcome step to rebuilding consumer trust, which is at an all-time low.

"Over the past year CCW has seen more than a 50% rise in customers turning to us for help with complaints about their water company, so we're delighted the Government is committed to introducing a powerful new ombudsman service.”

However, he cautioned:

"People are impatient for change and we must not lose sight of the fact that water companies have always had the freedom and power to do what is right for their customers - whether that's being more open about their financial structures or taking better care of customers during disruption. Regulatory reform has got to come hand-in-hand with changes in the culture and accountability of the water sector."

From the supply chain side, Simon Oakes, sales director for water management at Wilo UK Ltd., a leading manufacturer of pumps and pump systems, reacted to the news that water companies will be required to adopt an "MOT" approach for infrastructure, including health checks on pipes, pumps and other sewage treatment assets. He said:

“While this is undeniably a step in the right direction, it’s important to remember that water companies are already proactive in the ongoing challenge to upgrade infrastructure and have been for many years.

“Despite the pressures to optimise investment, they are well versed in prioritising system resilience by collaborating with companies in the private sector that have the expertise needed to drive positive development. This united approach has helped to put the UK among the countries with the best-performing water delivery and treatment infrastructure in the world.”

Rivers Trust - Water White Paper not the transformational change we need

Commenting in response to the Water White Paper, Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Rivers Trust warned:

“The long-awaited Water White paper contains some positive steps to reform water management, but without significant new government funding it will not be the radical, transformational change that we hoped for or that communities, our environment and the economy need.

“The government is clarifying the regulation of water companies, which is a positive step, but there are still significant gaps in the White Paper that raise alarm bells. The Government seems to be shying away from implementing properly funded, independent regional planning bodies, linked to well-funded local delivery, which we believe are essential to transform the resilience of our landscapes…..

“We’re also extremely disappointed by the lack of attention paid to integrating water company activities with flooding and land use, including the farming sector, and the light-touch approach to monitoring. We need a strategic and targeted monitoring framework that provides us with better data to understand the breadth of threats to river health, target our solutions, and to restore public trust.

“Now is not the time for half measures. The government is selling this as a once in a generation plan, so they must seize the moment and get it right, now. We will continue to press government to fill these gaps and reach further as they hammer out the details in their promised Transition Plan, and to take action now wherever possible, rather than waiting for slow-moving legislation.”

River Action - Government White Paper on water reform falls short of real reform – major gaps remain

Campaigning organisation River Action expressed disappointment with the White Paper, saying that although it included some welcome steps, “it falls short of the ambition and enforcement needed to Rescue Britain’s Rivers.”

CEO of River Action, James Wallace commented:

“The publication of the Water White Paper signals the Government recognises the scale of the freshwater emergency, but lacks the urgency and bold reform to tackle it.

“Proposals for a new water regulator, including the appointment of a Chief Engineer, alongside infrastructure ‘MOTs’ and no-notice inspections of water companies, are welcome steps, provided the regulator is truly independent, equipped with real powers and funded by The Treasury to hold polluters to account.

“However, major gaps remain. These reforms will fail unless the privatised model is confronted head-on. The crisis is the result of a system that prioritises short-term profits and shareholder payouts over people, rivers, and public health.

“Special Administration must be the clear route to a public benefit model for water. It is the mechanism by which failing water companies can be taken out of extractive ownership and restructured so that investment serves customers and the environment, not short-term results. This requires clear, published triggers for Special Administration and a firm commitment to reform ownership and finance so that profits are secondary, long-term, and conditional on strong environmental performance and public benefit.

“We are also concerned about the emphasis on smart meters, which risks placing responsibility on households when water companies have failed for decades to invest in ageing, leaking infrastructure. Millions of litres of water are lost every day, and consumers should not be asked to pay for corporate underinvestment.

“Finally, while agricultural pollution is acknowledged, the proposals do not yet go far enough in ambition or enforcement needed to tackle this problem at source. The abomination of sewage sludge epitomises the challenge: farmers pay water companies for sludge to spread industrial ‘forever’ chemicals on the land that grows our food. The real test of these reforms will be whether they deliver a system that puts public and environmental protection ahead of corporate profiteering.”

Water UK welcomes White Paper as “step in the right direction”

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, David Henderson, CEO of industry body Water UK said the White Paper was “a step in the right direction”, saying:

“We’re going to get engineering assessments rather than regulation by spreadsheets. Fundamentally, what we need is the new regulator to be up and running as fast as possible”.

He went on to say that one of the reasons that we have not built a new reservoir in more than 30 years despite many, many applications to do so is because the regulator has prioritised short-term bill reductions over long-term investment needs.

Feargal Sharkey “overwhelmed with a huge sense of déjà vu”

Commenting in the same interview, campaigner Feargal Sharkey said:

“At this point, I have been overwhelmed with a huge sense of déjà vu. Here is yet another government going to fix a problem, decades, years later.

“The simple truth is this privatisation of the water industry has failed…. The truth is these companies are crippled with debt, and they need to be restructured and refinanced. That is causing political paralysis within Number 10 and the Treasury who are simply terrified, in my opinion,” to actually tackle the underlying issues of debt and refinancing.

The GMB union response echoed the same view - Gary Carter, GMB National Officer, said:

"We’ve seen it all before, but it has to change. The Government has to give its new regulator the teeth to inspect, talk to workers, and to hold water companies to account.

"If private companies refuse to invest the money they’ve received through record bill rises - and circumvent bonus legislation - then they're not fit to be running water infrastructure.

"There must be fundamental change after years of neglect."