The UK government has today published its white paper on water sector reform, A new vision for water.
Commenting on behalf of the Academy, Dr Steve Denton FREng, Vice President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chair of the National Engineering Policy Centre’s Ageing Infrastructure Working Group, said:
“Any direction set for the water sector must be underpinned by a deeper understanding of the infrastructure we have, the condition it is in, and, crucially, how that is changing over time. We welcome the commitments to develop a fuller picture of asset health, to greater transparency about performance and to developing better metrics and resilience standards. This will help us make the right interventions at the right time to maintain our assets and keep our water services running."
“The commitment to build greater technical capability in the regulator is particularly positive and we are delighted to see the announcement of a chief engineer. However, we are concerned that there is limited mention of the skills shortages faced in the water sector. A skilled workforce is critical to delivering a safe, resilient, and innovative water sector and we need a clear plan to address both recruitment and retention."
“Maintaining a complex and ageing water system is technically challenging, as the NEPC examined in its 2025 report Reviving our ageing infrastructure. With growing demands and climate pressures on our system, this policy shift towards proactive maintenance is a much-needed step. Dedicated support for research and innovation is essential to deliver the aspirations articulated in the White Paper."
“The Royal Academy of Engineering stands ready to support the government in taking forward these reforms to ensure our ageing infrastructure is resilient for future generations.”
