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.

The Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has once again postponed the target start date to introduce compulsory legislation for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in England and Wales.

Water industry regulator Ofwat has issued new guidance to help companies revise their outcomes proposals as part of the 2014 price review and emphasised the need for the water firms to provide evidence to support their proposals.

The Government has launched a consultation on proposals to simplify the existing planning procedure for shale gas and oil and deep geothermal underground drilling access.