The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and Health and Safety Executive has published new guidance from the UK Government to businesses that use chemicals on the actions they should take now to minimise any disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit. 

Water regulator Ofwat has today published its revised board leadership, transparency, and governance Principles. First introduced in 2014, Ofwat launched a review of its Principles last year, following public concerns raised over corporate behaviours in the water sector.

In a keynote speech on the future for environmental principles and governance post Brexit, Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency has warned over potential risks regarding the Environment Bill post Brexit, saying the policy decisions risked being narrowly defined and that the Agency “would like to be certain all Ministers will respect the principles.”

A new report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee published today is calling for Government action to “stop using seas as a sewer” and warning that the Government’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’ treatment of the oceans is putting marine resources at great risk.

Water regulator Ofwat has proposed a number of changes to its Regulatory Accounting Guidelines (RAGs) which set out in detail how water companies must treat particular items where disclosure and reporting requirements go further than those normally required under company law.

Ofwat’s latest reports on water companies’ service, delivery and financial performance over 2017-18 show that customer satisfaction has risen but sector performance deteriorated with a number of failures on performance commitments, including leakage, water quality and water supply interruptions.

The Government and Ofwat have signalled their intention to keep up the pressure on the water companies to drive leakage down further and encourage more water transfers.