05/11/2026
Regional water councils… ?
A stronger voice for local communities or just an irrelevant talking shop?
Today’s announcement follows from the conclusions of the Independent Water Commission led by Sir Jon Cunliffe. We met Sir Jon and his team shortly before he finalised his report. We gave him a clear message that real change in the water industry would only occur if the interests of local communities were represented and they had clear control over decisions affecting our rivers and beaches.
Today’s announcement is light on detail about how the new Water Councils will work. A South West regional Water Council with clear powers to determine priorities, take decisions on investments and hold South West Water accountable is something we would support.
However, it’s not clear how the new bodies will work. What powers will they actually have? Who will decide on membership and, crucially, what funding they will have. Creating a system where communities are at the heart of decision making is vital: another talking shop will not lead to the fundamental change that the water industry needs.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/communities-to-get-a-stronger-say-over-billions-of-pounds-of-water-investment?fbclid=IwdGRleAVZlAJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWZkaWQWURqdvthj8bIiYwUbAq6RqGK2ecNrcXNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR8ybnpWHC35OcJa8isNqmZ3bB_SkJTAg1rKCeRtI0I3yjgQJmOwIfXqnmPJiQ_aem_RMAat2vIt-nD5pbF2guLOQ
Eight new regional water councils will put communities at the heart of decisions on tackling sewage, flooding, drought and securing future water supplies
