UK to Abolish Ofwat and Create Single Water Regulator

The UK Government has announced the abolition of Ofwat and the creation of a new single, powerful water regulator to oversee the entire water sector in England.

• £104 billion investment is underway to upgrade water infrastructure including pipes and sewage treatment works; the new regulator will consolidate functions from Ofwat, Environment Agency, Natural England, and Drinking Water Inspectorate to end regulatory complexity.
• The Government will fast track five recommendations from the Independent Water Commission and work with the Welsh Government to devolve economic water regulation to Wales; reforms include ringfencing customer bills for upgrades, reinvesting fines into local projects, and enforcing the ‘polluter pays’ principle.