The regulation, governance and performance of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales

Sue Jaffer

International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2025, vol. 41, issue 4, 834-845

Abstract: Regulation of the privatized water industry of England and Wales has failed across several dimensions, with illegal discharges into waterways, widespread non-compliance with environmental requirements and large-scale extraction of cash from the businesses. Analysis of the nature of these regulatory failures finds inappropriate corporate governance to be a major contributor, with the shareholder value paradigm creating damaging incentives for poor behaviour. Recent regulatory changes focus on introducing a ‘corporate purpose’ approach to governance, and the paper considers whether they will be enough to improve future performance.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/07900627.2024.2442449

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