Type: Policy

Presidential Roundtable summary: could the UK benefit from a water strategy?

Date: 22 June 2023

The UK’s water and wastewater infrastructure system will face enormous challenges over the next 30 years and beyond.

This includes meeting net zero greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change, all while keeping the taps on, improving the quality of waterways, and reducing flooding in the face of changing weather patterns.

The problems seen in microcosm today, if unaddressed, will only become more severe due to pressures from population growth and climate change.

Considering this multitude of challenges, could the UK benefit from a water strategy?

This was the question posed at an ICE-hosted Presidential Roundtable with Philip Dunne MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee.

The discussion outlined the challenges the UK’s water infrastructure system faces, how these have arisen, and what would happen if left unaddressed.

The discussion primarily covered:

regulatory reform;
the need for a longer-term approach to investment and planning;
the role of nature-based solutions in delivering a better water infrastructure system; and
how to rebuild trust between the public, water companies and regulators.