CEO Blog: Future Water Association- Areas of Strong Alignment Future Water Response and Cunliffe Draft

Areas of Strong Alignment1. Strategic Direction & VisionFuture Water ResponseCommission Interim Report Urges creation of a long-term, cohesive national water strategy Calls for a statutory national water strategy with 25–30 year horizon and 5-year delivery plans Advocates for a dual-track regulatory model (long-term for base op-ex, short-term for enhancements) Suggests reform of economic regulation to allow long-term investment and resilience planning✅Strong match on the need for integrated, future-facing strategy that guides planning, investment, and public outcomes.2. Regulatory Coordination & CultureFuture Water ResponseCommission Interim Report Proposes a Water Regulatory Coordination Forum Highlights fragmentation across regulators (Ofwat, EA, DWI) and lack of coordination Wants to shift from punitive compliance to outcomes-based, collaborative regulation Criticises current regulation as adversarial, reactive, and misaligned with long-term outcomes✅ Close alignment in recognising the dysfunction of current regulatory architecture and culture, and proposing a more strategic, collaborative model. 3. Environmental Integration Future Water ResponseCommission Interim Report Supports merging Natural England and EA for better integration of land, water, climate Highlights the need for integrated planning (e.g. DWMP, WRMP, WINEP) and systemic accountability for outcomes Calls for clearer and aligned guidance on SuDS, nutrient neutrality, etc. Notes that environmental delivery is backloaded, fragmented, and not well prioritised✅ Shared emphasis on cross-sector environmental governance and delivery coherence. 4. Ownership, Governance & Trust Future Water ResponseCommission Interim Report Expresses interest in alternative ownership models (e.g. Welsh Water), suggests public interest charters Argues ownership is not the core issue, but behaviour, governance, and financial structure are Advocates for greater transparency on dividends, performance, and asset health Critiques financial engineering and lack of clarity on reinvestment vs. extraction✅ Shared concern around governance quality, transparency, and incentives for long-term public benefit. 5. Infrastructure, Innovation & Supply Chain Future Water Response Calls for a national water infrastructure roadmap and better supply chain visibility Commission Interim Report Identifies the absence of forward-looking asset health planning and need for supply chain certainty Proposes national innovation standards and accreditation pathways Highlights inconsistent innovation uptake and weak regulatory incentives to adopt proven tech ✅ Both want proactive, national-level infrastructure planning, and sector-wide innovation enablers. 6. Workforce & Cyber ResilienceFuture Water ResponseCommission Interim Report Warns of aging workforce, digital skills gaps; proposes a National Water Skills Strategy Notes weak delivery performance and resourcing challenges as systemic issues Urges co-development of cyber resilience standards with NCSC Highlights lack of resilience planning but doesn’t deeply address cyber yet ✅ Good alignment on workforce and resourcing; FWA adds value by raising cyber as a specific emerging risk. Summary Table: Alignment Level Thematic AreaAlignment LevelNotes Strategic Planning & Vision ✅ Strong Shared call for long-term, integrated strategy Regulatory Architecture & Culture ✅ Strong Agreement on systemic reform and culture shift Environmental Integration ✅ Strong Aligned on coherence, priority-setting Ownership & Governance ✅ Medium-High Different emphasis but same reform goals Infrastructure & Innovation ✅ Strong Agreement on visibility, standards, incentives Workforce & Skills ✅ Medium-High FWA stronger on detail (cyber, skills strategy) Conclusion There is broad strategic alignment between the Future Water submission and the Commission’s interim report. Both documents:

• Diagnose similar systemic weaknesses

• Call for longer-term planning and more integrated regulation

• Emphasise public trust, investment transparency, and innovation adoption

FWA’s evidence-based, member-informed response complements the Commission’s institutional lens and could usefully inform the final report—particularly on skills, innovation delivery, and public engagement.