The Environment Agency working closely with Natural England has secured the largest ever commitment from water companies to clean up the environment and invest in new infrastructure since privatisation.

Leading voices from areas including the environment, public health and investment have been announced as the new advisory group to the independent water commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe.

Water sector regulator Ofwat has announced details of its £400 million Innovation Fund which will be extended for a further five years to 2030, the next five years of AMP8 - the funding is intended to support ambitious and collaborative water innovation projects.

The Government has published a planning reform working paper on streamlining infrastructure planning, part of a series of working papers on different aspects of planning reform, designed to inform further policy development in collaboration with the wider sector.

Philip Duffy, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency has told the Government it will support a new approach to regulators and regulations to support economic growth.

New data released by Ofwat shows that the total debt for household water bills across England and Wales for households amounts to over £2 billion. As of March 2024, approximately 8.2% of household customers were in payment arrears, with the average amount owed to their water company being approximately £822.