The Environment Agency’s director of water, Helen Wakeham, has discussed plans to increase scrutiny of water companies in England and Wales in a new water sector podcast.
Targeted recruitment campaigns, more site inspections and enhanced digital systems will drive better performance from the industry, Wakeham told the WiseOnWater Podcast: Conversations in Flow, from media specialist WiseOnWater and technology company Xylem UK & Ireland.
“We’ve an awful lot more investment in water regulation. We consulted earlier this year on increasing our charges for water quality discharges and we’ll use that to increase our scrutiny of water companies,” Wakeham told podcast host Natasha Wiseman.
Site inspections will increase to more than 10,000, to be supported by new recruits, including “boots on the ground” and data analysts, Wakeham said. “It’s a really exciting time. There are a lot of people around with loads of experience. It’s brilliant for those people to be joined by a new cohort with new ideas.
“Data can help us. When I started my career in 1990 it really was whack-a-mole. These days we can be a lot cleverer than that. We’ll be able to focus our effort on where we know the problems are. We’ll be able to visit the places that matter to people.”
Reflecting on the public’s heightened awareness of water quality, Wakeham said: “I think what started off as perhaps quite a narrow debate about storm overflows has brought the value of water to people’s attention. While some of those conversations are hard, it’s brilliant to have water very much more in the public consciousness. I think we’ve realised how central it is for all of us.”
The WiseOnWater podcast, which launched on 9 September 2024, is a monthly deep dive into the ever-changing landscape of the UK water sector.
Joining Wakeham on episode one is Margaret Read, director of policy at the National Infrastructure Commission, who explores the proposed £96 billion 2025-30 AMP8 investment.
She said: “We’ve got a lot of different issues to solve in the water sector. The first one which we’ve looked at in detail is the water supply question. We haven’t built any reservoirs in the UK for over 30 years and we’re facing a big gap between supply and demand.
“Secondly, we’ve got problems, as everybody knows, with water pollution and that requires a big investment to resolve. Then thirdly, we also need to maintain our existing assets. So, it does sound like a big amount of money, but we will need it – we also need to be realistic about what can be delivered over that period.”
Read urged regulators and government to “speak with one voice” and “be really clear with the public that there is a need for this new infrastructure and that they will have to pay for it”.
“That takes some political courage,” she added, “but it’s really important.”
For project delivery, Read said water companies need to collaborate more closely with each other and the supply chain to “solve these problems once rather than many times”.
Pollution reduction, nature-based solutions, smart metering, leakage, drought resilience and bill increases were among other conversation topics in the 30-minute podcast episode.
Episode two focuses on skills, recruitment and retention with guests Peter Simpson, chief executive of Anglian Water and Sarah McMath, chief executive of MOSL. Future episodes feature Wessex Water chief executive Colin Skellett and the managing director of Xylem UK & Ireland, Ian Thompson.
Wiseman, founder of WiseOnWater and non-profit news platform Make Water Famous, said: “In each episode of the WiseOnWater podcast we’ll bring together the brightest minds in water, from industry leaders and policymakers to engineers, communicators and researchers. These are the people tackling the pressing challenges of today and ensuring the future availability of our most precious resource.
“We are especially excited to be supported by Xylem UK & Ireland, who have a deep understanding of the needs of this sector. It has never been more important for organisations in water to explore new collaborative communications initiatives if we are to ensure a sustainable water future for the UK and beyond.”
Andrew Welsh, water utility sales director at Xylem, said: “At Xylem we believe that meaningful conversations are the cornerstone of progress in the water sector. Partnering with WiseOnWater to launch this podcast allows us to bring critical discussions to the forefront, driving awareness and collaboration on the most pressing water challenges.
“By connecting industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators, we aim to not only highlight the issues but also inspire actionable solutions that will shape a sustainable future for the UK’s water infrastructure.”
Episode one of the WiseOnWater podcast is available now on Spotify.
