Independent Water Commission

The Independent Water Commission () was a British government review of the regulatory system for the water sector in the United Kingdom. It was chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe.

Establishment

The UK Government and the Welsh Government established the Independent Water Commission in October 2024.

Final report

Contents

The report recommended:

• establishing an obligation to have smart meters
• merging Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, water-environment related functions of the Environment Agency and Natural England
• transferring the economic responsibilities of Ofwat in Wales to Natural Resources Wales
• establishing an ombudsman for Water, comparable to the Energy Ombudsman
• the establishment of 8 regional new regional water system planning authorities in England, one for each river basin
• the establishment of a national water system planning authority for Wales
• the publication of a national water strategy by both the UK Government and the Welsh Government

Reception

The recommendations were supported by Deputy First Minister of Wales and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies.

References

External links

• Final Report of the Independent Water Commission