Water 2050 sets out water companies’ ambition for the future of the sector in England, and the urgent changes needed to achieve this. These changes will ensure that current and future generations of customers receive world-leading services that are affordable, while tackling environmental challenges.

Purpose

To protect public health, improve the environment, unlock environmental growth, and act as a responsible leader at the heart of England’s regions today and in the future.

Vision

By 2050, we will be globally recognised as an environmental leader, stewarding the improvement of rivers and seas, acting on the climate emergency and protecting customers’ long-term interests.

Our twin priorities are:

• Delivering environmental impact more efficiently - Ensuring that every pound spent delivers maximum environmental impact for money
• Protecting long-term customer interests through the right investments at the right time - Joint evaluation of investments’ value and risk, ensuring the best value interventions are taken forward

How we will achieve this

Priority area 1: Delivering environmental impact more efficiently

• Introduce Outcome-Based Environmental Regulation – a new model for regulation that unlocks innovation and empowers water companies to deliver the most environmental improvement with the lowest possible impact to bills
• Ensure the sector has world-class green skills and the mindset to innovate

Priority area 2: Protecting long-term customer interests through the right investments at the right time

• Establish sector-wide planning, resilience and risk frameworks
• Develop forward-looking approaches to investment decisions
• Bring together plans into a single joined-up long-term adaptive plan