Water UK response to Ofwat's announcement on water companies' draft business plans for 2020 to 2025

Commenting on Ofwat's announcement about their initial thoughts on water companies' draft business plans for 2020 to 2025, Water UK Chief Executive Michael Roberts said:

“Today’s announcement is not just about individual company plans, it is also about the sheer scale of collective ambition to do more for customers, the environment and the country as a whole.

“The plans were created after seeking the views of 5 million customers to understand what’s most important to them. Taken together, those plans would mean a decade of falling bills, the most ambitious leakage programme in 20 years, and an expanded five-year investment programme of more than £50 billion.

“There’s also a strong focus on helping the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society – we’re nearly doubling the help for people who struggle to pay their bills. Wildlife and the wider environment will benefit from the plans too, with 8000km of rivers due to be improved, and the Environment Secretary recently said the plans showed that the water industry was making good progress.

“Companies in England and Wales will be considering carefully the initial assessments published today by Ofwat and, where relevant, identifying where they can go even further before finalising their plans.”