Engineers Welcome Ofwat Review
1st September, 2010
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South West has welcomed Defra’s announcement that there will be a review into Ofwat’s remit.
The review, which will be completed early next year is to look into all aspects of the regulator including challenges presented by climate change, infrastructure and affordability.
Jacki Bell, Regional Director of ICE South West, said: “This review is good news for the South West. Water charges are a particularly thorny issue for the region due to the extreme length of coastline and responsibility for clean water. We need to ensure that critical investment in water infrastructure in the South West is effective but also fair.”
Chair of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) water panel David Nickols said the Institution welcomed the review.
“As ICE’s recent state of the nation report stated, the world we are living in now is very different to that when Ofwat was first set up and the regulatory framework must be reformed to reflect today’s environmental and societal challenges
“The current investment plans do not do enough to address long-term needs, especially climate change issues including reducing carbon emissions and driving down demand. ICE fears that without significant change in the regulatory regime to drive appropriate long-term investment in sustainable infrastructure, our long-term water security could be severely jeopardised.”
ENDS
