TO BE PUBLISHED January 2027
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Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine next steps for improving water security and resilience across England and Wales.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to discuss priorities in the context of the Climate Change Committee’s Fourth Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk A Well-Adapted UK report published in May 2026, alongside a Met Office led technical report and the Environment Agency’s National Framework for Water Resources 2025. Areas for discussion include the role of demand management in supporting sustainable use, the resilience of infrastructure and system performance, approaches to addressing future pressures on public and private resource supply, and options for supporting collaboration between the Government, local authorities and private actors.
Delegates will assess the scale of future water resource challenges, such as drought, water scarcity and demand pressures, and their implications for public water supplies, agriculture, industry, energy generation and the natural environment.
The agenda will consider priorities for strengthening system capacity, including options for improving water efficiency through building standards and retrofitting, and expanding the use of water smart meters and consumption data where rollout and data access permit. Discussion will also examine the balance between short-term demand reduction measures and long-term infrastructure development, given the time required to implement major supply projects.
Further sessions will examine the role of the water sector in the development of secure and sustainable water supplies. Following recommendations in the Government’s A new vision for water White Paper published in January 2026, attendees will examine priorities for addressing water quality, treatment capacity, storage and leakage, wastewater management and sustainable abstraction, alongside questions relating to price controls, asset management and abstraction reform.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- Risks of water scarcity & resource pressures:
- projections for drought, extreme heat and other climate pressures on water availability - implications of shortages for public supply - emergency planning
- supporting vulnerable communities during water stress - identifying weaknesses within water and wastewater systems
- impacts of leakage on supply and asset condition - impacts of pollution on water availability, quality and treatment costs
- Demand management & improving water efficiency:
- implementation of water efficiency design in new build and retrofit - water recycling, non-potable reuse and rainwater management
- the role of smart meters, water consumption data and the Mandatory Water Efficiency Label in supporting behavioural change and more efficient use
- Water system performance, infrastructure resilience & supply management:
- role of water companies in monitoring, maintenance and repair - reducing leakage and improving asset management
- resilience of water infrastructure - preventing disruption from flooding, erosion, contamination and single points of failure
- developing future supplies through reservoirs, storage, transfers, recycling and treatment capacity - implementation and delivery of Water Resource Management Plans
- collaboration across regions, water companies and other sectors - wastewater management, drainage infrastructure and nature-based solutions
- Technology, innovation & data-led water management:
- monitoring of water resources, asset health and water quality
- trial and adoption of new technologies - use of data and evidence to support decision-making on demand management and infrastructure planning
- Planning, abstraction & integrated water management:
- role of regional water resource groups - improving understanding of the water system and appropriate adaptation actions
- aligning water security and resilience objectives with wider environmental targets, including the Environmental Improvement Plan and devolved nations’ strategies
- Water sector reform, regulation and investment frameworks:
- implications of the Cunliffe Review and Water White Paper for governance and regulation - reform to price controls and funding arrangements
- the role of regulators in water company performance - monitoring, accountability and oversight
