The Current

November 2026

• 

  Friday, 6 November 2026

  Water UK pushes back on Ofwat's board independence rules, the industry reacts to regional water councils, and a sludge trial beats the 2030 standard.

  1. 1Water UK says Ofwat's governance code could need 58 more directors, at a cost of £23mRegulation
  2. 2Regional water councils: a conditional welcome from United Utilities and the Rivers TrustRegulation
  3. 3South West Water's rotary press trial beats the 2030 sludge standardEnvironment
  4. 4Scottish retailer Intelligent Water secures a £3.5m facilityFinance
• 

  Thursday, 5 November 2026

  Eight regional water councils announced for England, Scottish Water's outputs slip, social tariff numbers jump, and Thames Water marks 100 days in drought.

  1. 1Eight regional water councils to give communities a say over billions of investmentRegulation
  2. 2Scottish Water: spending on track, outputs slippingInvestment
  3. 3380,000 more households on water social tariffsFinance
  4. 4Thames Water marks 100 days in droughtEnvironment
  5. 5NI Water switches on £2.3m of hydro turbinesInvestment
• 

  Wednesday, 4 November 2026

  MPs set out what they want from the Water Bill, Portsmouth Water turns telecoms fibre into a leak detector, and UKHSA starts measuring PFAS in people.

  1. 1MPs call for national pollution targets and a credible threat of special administrationRegulation
  2. 2Portsmouth Water to use Openreach fibre to listen for leaksInvestment
  3. 3UKHSA starts a national study of PFAS levels in peopleEnvironment
  4. 4EA research finds flood recovery support is fragmentedEnvironment
• 

  Tuesday, 3 November 2026

  Regulators sketch a more regional, company-specific PR29, the EA warns of possible irrigation bans next spring, and Ofwat moves on customer-side leakage.

  1. 1Regulators set out a more company-specific, regional approach for PR29Regulation
  2. 2EA warns that a dry winter could mean irrigation bans in spring 2027Environment
  3. 3Ofwat names judges for its £5m customer-side leakage competitionInvestment
• 

  Monday, 2 November 2026

  Companies respond to the worst environmental ratings on record, Yorkshire Water changes chief executive, and Thames Water's creditors back a £5.4bn funding line.

  1. 1Environmental ratings hit a new low, with Severn Trent the only four-star companyEnvironment
  2. 2Yorkshire Water responds to its one-star rating as Nicola Medalova arrives as CEO DesignatePeople
  3. 3Thames Water creditors approve a £5.4bn emergency facilityFinance
  4. 4SEPA's Lisa Tennant is the preferred candidate to chair the Environment AgencyPeople
  5. 5OEP chair warns that reform won't work without delivery on the groundRegulation