‘The water strategy is
coherent and joined up’
With the Floods & Water Bill in the process of channelling its way through the Houses of
Parliament, Natasha Wiseman asked the Environment minister, Huw Irranca-Davies MP, to share
his perspective on the challenges currently facing the UK water industry
I
WEX 2010 comes at a pivotal time in the UK including recruitment, contracting and
water industry, and government attention on secondment of experienced individuals,
the sector has probably been more intense training new staff and existing staff with
than any time since privatisation. The Cave relevant backgrounds, and partnership working
Review on competition and innovation, the with organisations such as Internal Drainage
Walker Review on metering, and the Pitt Report Boards (IDBs),” Davies explained.
on flooding are all feeding into policy. Most He promised that whether the capacity issue
significantly, the Floods & Water Bill, which was for local authorities was around skills or
due before the Lords at the end of February, sustainable drainage systems or sewer transfer,
could be on the statute book in a few months. “we will absolutely fully fund any new net
Perhaps it is not surprising that the Under- burdens on the local authority but also, beyond
Secretary of State for Environment, Huw that, we will keep the costs and the
Irranca-Davies, describes water as “one of the assumptions these were based on under review
most exciting parts of my portfolio. ”The and will address any shortfalls that come of it.”
minister explained that while his background The minister explained that the current £18M
was in public sector management and leisure, a year which local authorities spend on flood
water affordability and quality are always management would be doubled to £36M in
pressing issue for constituents, and he is year one and tripled to £54M each year
pleased that his ministerial brief means that he Hopeful: Huw Irranca-Davies thereafter, and that the figures are based on the
is now in a position to affect change. upper end of cost estimates.
Focusing on the industry itself, I asked the Floods Bill
minister what the Government was doing to The Government’s Floods & Water Bill is currently Sustainable water
create stability, when recession is exacerbating awaiting Royal Assent and is before the Lords, I asked the minister whether in view of the over
the natural trough that comes with the end of but Irranca-Davies believes that goodwill behind abstractions occurring in many areas and
an AMP cycle. He replied that the onus was the bill means it will be brought to fruition predicted population growth, along with climate
really on the water companies, explaining that despite the looming election. change, he thought the UK had a sustainable
the Government was encouraging them to “I would be as hopeful as anyone can be that plan for water. He said that he did, but admitted
bring forward expenditure “to try and get more this will be one of the bills to get on the statute there were some “unfinished issues”. He did not
stability in the investment pattern and the book, because what we’re talking about here is state the scale of these, but told me that the
capital expenditure patterns.” delivering elements of Pitt that cannot be Government was anticipating a further
The minister acknowledges that skills delivered except through primary legislation, so consolidation bill on water issues as soon as
retention is another area hit hard by the cyclic there is good cross-party support.” possible. He does not believe that the Floods &
Water Bill goes far enough and that an additional
“
The decisions within any funding cycle have got to be bill would incorporate issues flagged up by Cave
about individual companies addressing the needs of both
and Walker, along with the streamlining of
existing outdated legislation: “The strategy is
their customers and their business
”
coherent and it’s joined up,” he said, “and it’s
those dots that we need to draw up legislatively.”
nature of regulation and has met with the water I asked him which measures will be He also expressed the importance of getting
companies, contractors, trade unions and other implemented first and where the funding will the general public to value water and energy
organisations to try to address the issue. come from. He said there was already a great costs associated with its treatment, transport
“One of the traditional challenges within deal of work under way, especially in terms of and use. He told me that he had been inspired
SUPPLEMENT
the water industry,” he explained, “is the flood resistance pilot schemes for individual by the real passion in the sector from people
fragmentation between the individual households and local authority skills who have spent their lives in the industry and
companies and also then down through development. He explained that Defra has been “really get the big picture” around climate
individual contractors.” proactive in starting to counter the water change, innovation, and carbon footprint.
He said there was definitely a role for the engineering skills deficit in local authorities, but Speaking candidly, Irranca-Davies said: “I really
regulator, the Government and the Sector admits this will take some time. Defra has hope I’m back again after the election, taking the
NEWS AND WWT
Skills Council in addressing this, but ultimately, allocated £1M funding to help them build the agenda on to the next level, because I think
he said, “the decisions within any funding skills capacity they need to carry out the new there’s a real shared feeling of what we want to
A WET
cycle have got to be about individual flood risk management roles outlined in the bill. get out for both customers, shareholders, people
companies addressing the needs of both their “It is likely that new local authority roles will working in the industry, contractors – we are all
6 customers and their business.” be staffed through a range of approaches, on the same trajectory.”
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