The Company has responded to two Defra consultations on permitting. One on industrial emissions and one on very small sewage discharges. In doing so the Company observed that these are both parts of a fragmented approach to permitting .It supported both sets of proposals pro-tem with the caveat that, in…...
Save the date – City Water Debate – Wednesday 18 March 2026 – WATER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, TOO LITTLE SUPPLY, TOO MUCH DEMAND
The UK is running out of water. Population and economic growth combined with climate change mean that consumption is increasingly outstripping supply. We are already abstracting more water from the environment than is sustainable. In England alone the Environment Agency has estimated that there will be shortfall of five billion…...
Response to Cunliffe Report
Picture courtesy of the BBC Following the publication of the report of the Independent Water Commission chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe this morning, Professor Carolyn Roberts, Master of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators, issued the following statement in a personal capacity: The Cunliffe Report is perhaps the most important…...
Report of the Independent Water Commission chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe
The Report from the Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, has been publised and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/roadmap-to-rebuild-trust-in-water-sector-unveiled-in-major-new-report The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators contributed to the work of the Commission. The full report is available here: Independent Water Commission final report The Government response is available here:…...
Revisiting Bioresources: A Renewed Commitment to Sustainable Innovation
Last week, Past Master Peter Matthews attended the NWG Innovation Festival in Newcastle as a panellist in the Bioresources Dragons’ Den, at the invitation of AtkinsRéalis. The event provided him with an opportunity to speak about the work of the Water Conservators. The discussions, together with recent Guardian articles, have…...
Statement on Interim Report by the Independent Water Commission
The Company has responded to the Interim Report of the Independent Water Commission. It agrees with several of the points made by the Commission but focussed on ensuring that the final report recognises the key role of river catchments and basins is maintained in future structures. The response may be…...
“We don’t need a service and MOT on our old banger of a water management system”
Britain’s water systems need radical overhaul, not just some incremental improvements to water company regulation, according to Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Rivers Trust. “We don’t need a service and MOT on our old banger of a water management system, we need a new car with a hybrid engine…...
Environmental Watchdog Hails Landmark Legal Case
A Court of Appeal judgment earlier this month could prove a significant development in legal efforts to hold the government to its duty to protect the environment, according to The Office for Environmental Protection. The Court upheld a complaint brought by a group of fishermen in North Yorkshire, who accused…...
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