
Water bills to rise by another 30% in next 5 years as damning report calls for regulator Ofwat to be SCRAPPED
Sir Jon Cunliffe, who led the probe, said households are paying the price for years of underinvestment and warned 'massive' upgrades are now needed.
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He told the BBC there has been a "really huge" rise in bills and they are going to rise by another 30 per cent in real terms.
His report out today recommends scrapping Ofwat and replacing it with a single, 'powerful' regulator to fix what he called a 'fragmented and overlapping' system.
The former Bank of England bigwig slammed the existing mess of regulators – and said only a 'joined-up' and 'powerful' single body could fix it.
His long-awaited review said it was time to abolish Ofwat – which sets bills and oversees spending – and scrap the Drinking Water Inspectorate, as well as strip the Environment Agency and Natural England of powers.
Sir Jon warned: 'Restoring trust has been central to our work. Trust that bills are fair, that regulation is effective, that water companies will act in the public interest.'
He added: 'This is a complex sector... responsible for the second-largest infrastructure programme in the UK. Resetting this sector and restoring pride in the future of our waterways matters to us all.'
The 217-page report – ordered after public fury over sewage spills, soaring bills and sky-high exec bonuses – calls for a massive overhaul not seen since privatisation.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed piled in on Sunday, admitting: 'Ofwat is clearly failing.'
Instead of several overlapping bodies, nine new local water authorities – eight in England, one in Wales – would deliver projects that match local needs and give communities a louder voice.
Sir Jon's review said the shake-up must also bring tighter rules on bosses and owners, with better protection for customers and the environment.
It comes as Mr Reed prepares to unveil a new legally binding water ombudsman, expand the Consumer Council for Water, and bring the system into line with other utilities.
He will today say the report is a wake-up call to make sure 'the failures of the past can never happen again.'
Over the weekend, the Environment Secretary vowed to halve sewage pollution by 2030 using £104 billion of investment.
Tory Victoria Atkins warned Labour must be 'transparent' about what replaces Ofwat – but accused the party of copying old Tory ideas.
The final report follows nine months of digging, with over 50,000 public responses helping to shape it.
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From this Friday, all platforms must introduce stronger protections for children online, including a legal requirement for all pornography sites accessed in the UK to have effective age verification in place - such as facial age estimation or ID checks. Mr Kyle added: "I don't just want the base level set where kids aren't being criminally exploited and damaged, that shouldn't be the height of our aspirations. The height of our aspirations should be a healthy experience." Labour MP Lola McEvoy, who organised the focus group, said: "I knew things were bad online for children and young people but their testimony revealed the extent of explicit, disturbing and toxic content that is now the norm. "Their articulation of the changes they wanted to see was excellent and they've done our town and their generation proud." Tiktok, Pinterest, Meta and Snapchat were contacted for comment, but none provided an on the record statement. 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