Exclusive:
Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary and Water Minister Emma Hardy will travel round the nation on a water investment tour under the slogan “Things Can Only Get Cleaner”
Ministers are set to tour every region of the country to see how Labour ’s plan to fix Britain’s water is going.
Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary and Water Minister Emma Hardy will travel round the nation on a water investment tour under the slogan “Things Can Only Get Cleaner”.
The Tour will champion over £100 billion of private sector money that will be invested into the water sector over the next five years.
It comes after MPs a new Water Act, with powers to ban polluting water firms paying bosses big bonuses – and to make lawbreakers face criminal charges.
“The situation we find ourselves in in disgraceful, and enough is enough. That’s why this government is taking tough action,” Ms Hardy wrote for today’s Sunday Mirror.
“Our Water Act is cracking down on water bosses paying themselves unjustified bonuses.
“Over £100 billion of private sector money will be invested into the water sector —the largest influx of cash in the sector’s history.
“The money will be spent where it matters most: repairing leaks, modernising infrastructure and building new reservoirs for the future.”
Ministers will travel to iconic water sites such as Lake Windermere, Brean Beach in Somerset and a reservoir being constructed on the Cambridge – Suffolk border to support new homes.
The Tour will set out how a wave of new water infrastructure will underpin the building of new homes, power new industries such as gigafactories and data centres and clean up our waterways for good.
Britain’s water system is disgraceful – enough is enough
By Emma Hardy , Water Minister
We rightly take great pride in our country’s rivers, lakes and seas.
But after 14 years of the Conservatives, something stinks – and it’s not just sewage.
Year after year, customers’ hard-earned cash got spent on excessive bonuses and shareholder payouts.
Meanwhile water companies failed to fix crumbling infrastructure and pumped record levels of sewage into our waterways.
On top of this, red tape has stalled homes, infrastructure, and growth for too long—without helping nature.
I share the public’s fury.
The situation we find ourselves in in disgraceful, and enough is enough.
That’s why this government is taking tough action.
Our Water Act is cracking down on water bosses paying themselves unjustified bonuses.
Over £100 billion of private sector money will be invested into the water sector —the largest influx of cash in the sector’s history.
The money will be spent where it matters most: repairing leaks, modernising infrastructure and building new reservoirs for the future.
It’ll create 30,000+ jobs, boost local economies, and drive tourism—backing 1.5 million new homes in our Plan for Change.
Money earmarked for investment will also be ringfenced, so it can only be spent on upgrades and cleaning our rivers.
And that’s just the beginning.
Take the proposed Cheddar 2 reservoir in Bristol, which I’m excited to see tomorrow as part of a week of visits to projects around the country that will unlock growth and clean up our waters.
South West Water is aiming to have it up and running by 2035—giving us the resilience we need, not just for today, but for future generations of families and communities.
This investment is vital.
Water demand is rising, but supply is struggling due to climate change and past delays.
The Environment Agency warns that by 2050, we’ll need a massive extra 5 billion litres of water every day just to keep up.
Infrastructure alone won’t fix everything.
We’re rolling out 10.4 million smart meters by 2030 to help households track water usage and cut down on bills.
This is about giving you control—no more surprise costs, just the tools to save both water and money.
We promised to clean up our water sector, and we’re delivering it through this government’s Plan for Change.
Every drop of water, and every pound of investment, will be used wisely.
This is about building a water system that’s fairer, sustainable, and affordable – because things can only get cleaner.