Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 43
43
Accepted
Ofwat’s regulatory approach to date appears to have placed insufficient emphasis on facilitating the investment...
Conclusion
Ofwat’s regulatory approach to date appears to have placed insufficient emphasis on facilitating the investment necessary to ensure that the sewerage system in England is fit for the challenges of the 21st century, and able to cope with housing growth and the impact of climate change while restoring good ecological health to rivers. Investment must be accelerated so that damaging discharges from wastewater treatment assets, including storm overflows, cease and that any spills occur only in genuinely exceptional circumstances. (Paragraph 232) Water quality in rivers 125
Government response summary AI-generated
Government supports the use of natural capital in decision making and accepts that Ofwat should take natural capital into account in economic decision making, noting that it is already part of water company planning processes.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
Between 2020 and 2025, water companies will invest £7.1 billion in environmental improvements in England. Of this, £3.1 billion will be invested in storm overflow improvements specifically. Through the next Price Review (PR24), we are using the strategic policy statement to Ofwat, the economic regulator, to make it clear that the environment is a top priority.
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