Environment secretary: Labour’s water revolution will give investors certainty July 22, 2025 Abolishing Ofwat and streamlining water regulation will give the sector the clarity and accountability it needs to attract private investment, says environment secretary Steve Reed Today is the start of a water revolution. When I came into office a year ago, it was immediately clear our water system needed a complete reset. There were high [...]
Ofwat to be scrapped in sweeping water reforms July 21, 2025 Ofwat is set to be abolished and replaced by a “single, powerful regulator” aimed at cutting water pollution and protecting families from higher bills, the government has revealed. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said operations conducted in England by Ofwat will be merged with the Environment Agency, Natural England and [...]
United Utilities: Banned bonus for FTSE 100 CEO revealed June 23, 2025 The amount top bosses at FTSE 100 giant United Utilities are set to lose in bonuses – after the water giant was named as one of six to be banned from handing out the payouts – has been revealed. Earlier this month, new measures in the Water (Special Measures) Act come into force which prohibited utility [...]
MP to take Thames Water to Supreme Court over restructuring plan June 17, 2025 A Liberal Democrat MP will take a case against Thames Water’s restructuring to the Supreme Court. Charlie Maynard, MP for Witney, was among a group which included the utility’s secondary creditors, who opposed a £3bn emergency loan agreement earlier this year. Thames Water has been battling to stave off special administration over the last year [...]
Water sector needs ‘root-and-branch’ reform, MPs say June 16, 2025 The water sector is in need of “root-and-branch reform”, a committee of MPs has said as it called for “much more regulated management” of bonuses for senior bosses. The cross-party Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee has said that the industry is “failing”, but that water companies are “deaf to the crisis” that it is [...]
Is the government right to ban water company bonuses? June 6, 2025 It is safe to say the water industry is not in the government’s good books. Decades of underinvestment and mounting debt have led to a sewage spill crisis, sparking immense public outrage. Thames Water, the UK’s largest water supplier, has come to symbolise the sector’s woes as it teeters on the brink of administration. US [...]
Thames Water: What next after KKR walks? June 3, 2025 Thames Water was dealt a crushing blow this morning after its preferred bidder, the US private equity giant KKR, abruptly withdrew from its pursuit of the embattled utility. The decision leaves the UK’s largest water supplier without a buyer and puts it back on the brink of administration. It follows just a week after it [...]
Pennon Group: FTSE 250 water firm swings to loss after parasite scandal June 3, 2025 Pennon Group, the British utility firm which owns South West Water, swung to a loss in the latest financial year after struggles driven by the Brixham water supply scandal. The FTSE 250 company made a loss of £35.1m for the year, which the firm said was in line with management expectations. It marked a steep [...]
Anglian Water gets £500m boost after criminal investigations May 23, 2025 Anglian Water has received a £500m boost from its shareholders just days after it was revealed it is facing a raft of criminal investigations. The company, which operates in the East of England, is owned by the Osprey Consortium which is made up of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Colonial First State and Industry Funds Management. [...]
United Utilities: Profit rises significantly as water bills hiked May 15, 2025 Profit at United Utilities jumped significantly ahead of the FTSE 100 giant hiking water bills for its more than seven million customers, it has been revealed. The Warrington-headquartered firm, which serves customers in the North West of England, has also proposed an increase to its final dividend of 4.2 per cent to 34.6p. The company [...]