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Ofwat has launched a consultation on regulatory reporting for water companies for the 2021-22 reporting year. One of the three goals set out in Ofwat's strategy is to transform water company performance. A key part of this is through publishing information about how the companies are performing to help Ofwat, customers and other stakeholders to hold companies to account. The regulator will...

Ofwat has opened a conversation with the water sector and beyond to help ensure that customers across the country are getting what they need from their water company. The water regulator has announced it will listen to the needs of customers and what they have experienced through the pandemic, and explore what more can be done to provide them with...

56% of people in the UK say they are less likely to buy goods or services from organisations with a weak sustainability record, new survey shows. Conducted by professional services company GHD, this figure rises to 73% among those with a higher annual household income (£96,000 or more). Tim Mawhood, Executive Director at GHD, commented on the findings: “The results of...

New legal duties on water companies and government will be included in the upcoming Environment Bill to reduce sewage discharged into waterways. Three new measures on storm overflows, announced in late March, will be added by government amendment to the Environment Bill later this year. Environment Minister Rebecca Pow commented on the announcement: "The concerning issue of untreated sewage in our...

A new consultation seeks views on government plans to increase the consistency in materials collected for recycling in England. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) seeks to increase the consistency in materials collected for recycling from households, businesses and other organisations in England. Increasing consistency in recycling seeks to reduce confusion in the materials that can be collected for...

Following the success of the first two rounds where a combined total of up to 134,000 new trees will be planted across England’s towns and cities, the Urban Tree Challenge Fund has re-opened for applications. Anyone can apply for the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, if you either have full management control over the land or signed consent from those with...

UK businesses are set to invest £15.8bn in the electrification of their vehicle fleets over the next year, a 50% uplift on their spending during the previous 12 months, according to new data. The research, commissioned by Centrica Business Solutions, revealed that UK firms spent £10.5bn on electric vehicles (EVs) and on-site charging points during the year to March 2021...

A £40 million innovation competition has launched to spark new ways of working in the water sector. The Water Breakthrough Challenge aims to equip the water sector to address the big challenges facing the sector, driving far-reaching and long-lasting benefits to customers, society and the environment across England and Wales now and into the future. It encourages collaborative entries from other sectors and...

The single-use carrier bag charge, which has seen a 95% cut in plastic bag sales in major supermarkets since 2015, will be increased from 5p to 10 and extended to all businesses in England from 21 May to help drive down sales further. According to the Government, the average person in England now buys just four single-use carrier bags a...

A £2m Environmental Challenge Fund is now open for applications from not-for-profit organisations and councils to deliver natural heritage projects that support COVID-19 Recovery and Green Growth across Northern Ireland. Grant awards of over £30,000 are on offer with the maximum amount of DAERA funding available under the competition normally being up to 85% of eligible project costs. In launching the...