Future of the water industry in England and Wales

Summary

On Tuesday 22 January 2019 a Westminster Hall debate on the future of the water industry in England and Wales will be opened by Gareth Thomas MP. This is a debate resulting from the Backbench Business Committee.

A general discussion of water company ownership and recent debate is given in section 9 of the Library’s May 2018 briefing Public ownership of industries and services. This also includes a more general discussion of economic regulation.

Figures on average water bills for England and Wales together are published on the Government and Industry sponsored website Discover Water. The average combined (water and sewerage) domestic bill in 2018/19 is expected to be £405 per year.

An overview of recent issues in the industry such as leakage and water company performance and governance are covered by the October 2018 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report Regulation of the water industry. The Government and Ofwat response to the report was published in December 2018.

Information on customer complaints is given in a September 2018 Annual Report from the Consumer Council for Water (also see related article). In January 2019 Ofwat published their Service and delivery report for 2017-18.

This briefing concentrates on the background to the industry in England and Wales and current regulation.