Open Water, the organisation charged with delivering the competitive retail market for non-household customers, today set out the high level design of the retail market and its underlying principles.

Ofwat’s latest annual report and accounts highlights its direction of travel in AMP6 – and also flags up significant failings in Ofwat’s own internal processes and financial management during 2013-14.

Water industry regulator Ofwat has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Competition and Markets Authority – an important development for the water sector in the run-up to the introduction of retail competition in 2017.

The European Commission has today launched a public consultation on EU drinking water policy to see where improvements could be made and might be needed to the EU Drinking Water Directive.

Water industry regulator Ofwat is in the process of developing a new strategy as it reviews its vision and strategic priorities for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.

The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee is calling for the Government’s Natural Capital Committee set up to check how far the Government bases its policies on the cost and benefits the UK derives from its natural environment to be put on a permanent statutory footing.

Water industry regulator Ofwat wants a number of the UK water companies to take further action on the governance code each company submitted in April 2014 setting out their arrangements to meet its principles on Board leadership, transparency and governance.

Today’s Queen’s Speech, which covers the last Parliamentary session before the general election in 2015, contains a number of key measures with the potential for significant impact on the water sector.