| Date | 23 October 2024 – 21 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Blank label | Chair |
| Blank data | Sir Jon Cunliffe |
The Independent Water Commission (Welsh: Comisiwn Dŵr Annibynnol) was a British government review of the regulatory system for the water sector in the United Kingdom. It was chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe.[1]
Establishment
The UK Government and the Welsh Government established the Independent Water Commission in October 2024.[2]
Final report
Contents
The report recommended:
- establishing an obligation to have smart meters[3]
- merging Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, water-environment related functions of the Environment Agency and Natural England[4]
- transferring the economic responsibilities of Ofwat in Wales to Natural Resources Wales[4]
- establishing an ombudsman for Water, comparable to the Energy Ombudsman[5]
- the establishment of 8 regional new regional water system planning authorities in England, one for each river basin[6]
- the establishment of a national water system planning authority for Wales[6]
- the publication of a national water strategy by both the UK Government and the Welsh Government[7]
Reception
The recommendations were supported by Deputy First Minister of Wales and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies.[8]
References
- ^ "Independent Water Commission: final report will be published on 21 July 2025". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Beament, Emily (2024-10-23). "Water sector review could include replacing Ofwat amid row over bills and sewage". Independent. Archived 2025-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
- ^ Taaffe-Maguire, Sarah (2025-07-21). "Compulsory water meters and blocking takeovers - key recommendations from landmark report into 'broken' water industry". Sky News. Archived 2025-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
- ^ Kelso, Paul (2025-07-21). "Ofwat to be swept away on tide of public anger over sewage spills". Sky News. Archived 2025-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
- ^ Horton, Helena & Crerar, Pippa (2025-07-20). "Water ombudsman to be created amid sweeping changes in England and Wales". The Guardian. Archived 2025-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
- ^ Hills, Joel (2025-07-21). "The radical water fix: New regulator, compulsory meters and higher bills". ITV News. Archived 2025-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
- ^ "New regulator for water, stronger consumer advocacy and 9 new regional water authorities amongst final recommendations in Independent Water Commission report". Water Magazine. 2025-07-21. Archived 2025-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
- ^ "Welsh Government welcomes recommendations of landmark water industry review". Nation.Cymru. 2025-07-21. Archived 2025-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-07-21.