16/10/07
The water industry, through Water UK, has appointed Sir John Baker to chair a review of the summer floods from the point of view of the industry and its customers.
The review will focus on how to reduce the impacts of future flooding on water customers. Wider policy issues will also be considered including the vulnerability of services and infrastructure to climate change and rising customer expectations about the reliability of water supply and reduction of risk.
The review group, with Sir John as independent chair, is made up of senior industry figures:
• Jonson Cox – Group Chief Executive, Anglian Water
• John Cuthbert – Managing Director, Northumbrian Water
• Colin Skellett – Chairman, Wessex Water
• Ronnie Mercer – Chairman, Scottish Water
This industry-wide review will complement the work being carried out by the EFRA Committee, the Cabinet Office and Ofwat.
Stakeholders including Defra, the Environment Agency and emergency response organisations have been asked to provide information to guide the process. Letter to stakeholders
Contact: Jim Marshall, Policy Adviser, 020 7344 1824
Notes
Terms of reference for review group on flooding
This review will cover the whole of the UK.
1. To consider the UK water industry’s emergency response to the flooding.
2. To identify the impact and effectiveness of mutual aid and where this might be improved in future.
3. To identify medium and long-term policy issues (e.g. infrastructure resilience, dual/alternative supplies, drainage, disaster management, regulatory and financial impacts).
4. To understand the impacts of the flooding on public expectations and the reputation of the UK water industry.
5. To consider how we might have communicated better as an industry, with the public, the media, regulators, Government and MPs, and each other.
6. To make recommendations based on the above.
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