Defra in the media as the government announces steps to reform the water sector

The Secretary of State’s roundtable with water company directors, which took place today (11 July), was widely covered in many media.

The Secretary of State has made clear that water companies will be accountable for their actions to customers and the environment.

At the meeting, water company chiefs signed off on the government’s initial package of reforms to end the water crisis. These include ensuring that funding for key infrastructure investments is secured so that it can only be spent on improvements that benefit customers and the environment, and ensuring that customers are at the heart of a water company’s goals.

These steps are in line with the Government’s manifesto commitments to target failing water companies with special, tough measures to clean up our waterways.

The meeting took place following the publication of Ofwat’s draft findings on water companies’ spending.

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Steve Reed said:

The current increases in water bills are the result of years of failure.

The new government will force water companies to tackle illegal dumping into our rivers, lakes and seas. Strong action should have been taken much earlier to ensure that money is spent on fixing the sewage system and not siphoned off on bonuses and dividends.

The decisive steps taken today mean that this will never happen again.

Following meetings with water company representatives this afternoon, they have adopted my initial reform package, which will see us work to clean up our water, prioritising the interests of water users and the environment, and repairing our broken sewage system.

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