Type: Policy

ICE Presidential Roundtable summary: how will the government tackle systemic issues in the water sector?

Date: 18 March 2025

The ICE hosted Sir Jon Cunliffe, Independent Water Commission chair, to discuss the way forward for water system reform.

Today, the world is facing an unprecedented water crisis, threatening public health, security and livelihoods.

It’s projected that by 2030, there will be a 40% gap between global freshwater supply and demand, with the built environment alone responsible for approximately 15% of freshwater consumption.

Systemic problems in the UK’s water sector have left its water system in poor condition, eroded public trust and slowed the delivery of essential infrastructure.

Water demand is set to increase by an additional 5 billion litres per day by 2050.

Immediate and decisive action is needed to ensure a resilient water sector that can meet the needs of society and the natural environment.

In recognition of these issues, the UK government has recently launched an independent commission on the water regulatory system to conduct the most comprehensive sector review since privatisation.

The commission will report back later this year with recommendations to UK and Welsh governments on how to:

tackle inherited systemic issues in the water sector;
restore the UK’s rivers, lakes and seas;
meet the challenges of the future; and
drive economic growth.

The commission’s recommendations will shape future legislation to drive investment, tackle water scarcity and speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure projects.

Ahead of the close of the commission’s call for evidence on 23 April, its chair, Sir Jon Cunliffe joined the ICE for a Presidential Roundtable.

Key points covered in the discussion included:

The need for a vision and planning responsibilities that are integrated with other sectors.
While longer term planning and prioritisation horizons are required, attendees discussed the need to balance this approach against the realities of a changing investment environment.
England and Wales need to understand the state of their existing assets in more detail, as well as the investment that will be needed to build resilience to future challenges, including the effects of climate change.
Public trust and confidence will be difficult to win back but is critical to the ongoing sustainability of the sector.