Independent Water Commission
The Independent Water Commission was a British government review of the regulatory system for the water sector in the United Kingdom. It was chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe.
Establishment
The UK Government and the Welsh Government established the Independent Water Commission in October 2024.Final report
Contents
The report recommended:- establishing an obligation to have smart meters
- merging Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, water-environment related functions of the Environment Agency and Natural England
- transferring the economic responsibilities of Ofwat in Wales to Natural Resources Wales
- establishing an ombudsman for Water, comparable to the Energy Ombudsman
- the establishment of 8 regional new regional water system planning authorities in England, one for each river basin
- the establishment of a national water system planning authority for Wales
- the publication of a national water strategy by both the UK Government and the Welsh Government