Angling Trust welcomes largest review of water companies since privatisation

The announcement by the government of an independent commission to look at the largest review of the water sector since privatisation has been welcomed by the Angling Trust.

The commission will have an independent chair, Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England who will be supported by advisers with a range of expertise in the water sector, including the environment.

This new commission is part of the new government’s commitment to clean up the water services industry and comes alongside the Water (Special Measures) Bill that is currently being debated in parliament. The commission will take expert evidence, including from the Angling Trust, and there will be opportunities for public engagement and a public consultation. It will report its findings back to the government next year.

The objectives of the commission reflect many of the challenges the Angling Trust set out in publication ‘It’s the water stupid: the big challenge for any new government‘, published earlier this year. It will look at a range of issues that need to be addressed to fix the broken water sector, including:

• Ensuring the water industry delivers best value for environment, public health, consumers, and the economy;
• Taking a strategic approach to planning how we manage water pollution and water supply at a catchment level;
• Ensuring water regulators are effective in holding water companies to account; and
• Ensuring water companies are financially and operational resilient with secure infrastructure that is maintained over the long term.

In doing this, they will take account of the interest of consumers, the public, and those who enjoy the water environment, including anglers, to help build public trust in water companies.

Jamie Cook, CEO of the Angling Trust, said:

“The Angling community has been calling for a root and branch review of Britain’s failing water sector, and we are pleased the Government has moved swiftly to set up an independent commission to deliver this. However, there is inevitably going to be a difficult balancing act between economic, consumer and environmental priorities that this review will need to address. We are pleased the views of water users like the two million anglers are going to be a key part of this review. The Angling Trust is committed to working with the commission to ensure that the health of our rivers, lakes and seas remains front and centre of its work.”

Stuart Singleton-White, Head of Campaigns at the Angling Trust, said:

“We will be engaging fully with this commission and look forward to meeting them to make the case for a clean and healthy water environment in which fish can thrive, and we can enjoy our sport. It will be important for the commission to make clear that you cannot have a healthy, growing economy without a healthy water environment that is both clean and plentiful.

“While this commission is only looking at the water industry and it regulators, it is important the government does two things – firstly, it takes forward the commission’s recommendations and secondly, it looks across government at all the other pressures on our water environment from agriculture, to road run off, to how we can ensure a revised planning system supports a healthy environment. The government’s ambitions for growth are welcome, but our water environment must not be the price that is paid for that ambition.”

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