# Eight regional water councils to give communities a say over billions of investment

> The government has announced eight regional water councils for England. They will set local priorities on sewage, flooding, drought and supply, and mayors will get new powers through the Water Bill.

Published 5 November 2026 by The Water Wire. Topic: Regulation & policy. Canonical: https://waterwire.co.uk/story/eight-regional-water-councils-announced

Defra announced on 5 November that eight regional water councils will be created in England, bringing local leaders, customers and businesses together to set regional priorities for the water system ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/communities-to-get-a-stronger-say-over-billions-of-pounds-of-water-investment)). The announcement fills in one of the larger gaps left by January's white paper. But the councils' powers depend on a Water Bill that has not yet been published.

## What we know

- **Remit:** each council will produce a plan covering the biggest pressures on its region's water system (sewage and water quality, flooding, drought and future supply), the choices to be made, and the public and private investment available ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/communities-to-get-a-stronger-say-over-billions-of-pounds-of-water-investment)).
- **Membership:** up to 15 people per council, including mayors or local authority leaders, farmers, developers and customers ([Water Magazine](https://www.watermagazine.co.uk/2026/11/05/eight-regional-water-councils-to-shape-billions-in-investment/); [8point9](https://8point9.com/campaigners-welcome-new-regional-water-councils-for-england/)).
- **Influence:** the councils' priorities will feed into the next round of water industry planning and the ten-year flood investment programme ([Water Magazine](https://www.watermagazine.co.uk/2026/11/05/eight-regional-water-councils-to-shape-billions-in-investment/)).
- **Mayors' powers:** mayors will get new powers through a "strengthened Water Bill" to hold water companies to account for performance. Further detail is promised in the government's 10-year plan for Britain, due later this year ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/communities-to-get-a-stronger-say-over-billions-of-pounds-of-water-investment)).
- **Next step:** local leaders must submit proposals for how the councils should run by the end of the year.

The government cited sewage damaging tourism at Windermere and drought constraining growth around Cambridge as examples of where a place-based approach is needed. It named Greater Manchester's Integrated Water Management Plan and Water Resources East as models. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said local people "will have a real say" over what they need from their water company. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said she wanted to put the public "at the heart of decision-making".

## What others are reporting

[8point9](https://8point9.com/campaigners-welcome-new-regional-water-councils-for-england/) led on the reaction. The Rivers Trust's Mark Lloyd called the councils "a welcome step in the right direction" and argued that funded catchment partnerships should sit within them. 8point9 also reported that West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin called privatisation "a disaster for our region" and has argued that mayors should direct fine money to the communities worst hit by sewage.

## Background

The idea comes from the Independent Water Commission. In his July 2025 speech on its final report, which contains 88 recommendations, Sir Jon Cunliffe proposed regional water system planning bodies in England. They would take over the planning role of the Environment Agency, with authority over industry investment ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/sir-jon-cunliffe-speech-on-the-independent-water-commission-final-report)).

January's white paper took a softer route. It promised a "better joined-up" regional planning function to fill the "missing middle", designed by a Regional Water Planning Steering Group, with a 2026 transition plan and implementation from 2027 ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-new-vision-for-water-white-paper/a-new-vision-for-water)). Alongside it, ministers announced a single regulator and said industry planning is currently split across more than 20 processes ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-unveils-biggest-overhaul-to-water-in-a-generation)).

In September, [LBC](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/mayors-control-water-companies-5HjdhYP_2/) reported that the government was considering nine regional bodies with mayoral involvement. The model announced this week has eight councils, all in England.

## What we don't know yet

The release names neither the eight regions nor their boundaries. It gives no budget, opening date or statutory basis. Nor does it say how a council's plan will rank against the national regulator's decisions at the next price review, or whether councils will be able to direct company investment, as Cunliffe proposed, or only advise on it.

## What to watch

- Local leaders' proposals, due by the end of 2026, and whether regions follow river basins or mayoral boundaries.
- The Water Bill text: what powers mayors get, and whether councils sit in statute.
- The 10-year plan for Britain and the regional planning transition plan.
- How Ofwat and its successor treat council priorities in business plan guidance.

This is a governance answer to a legitimacy problem. Customers and local politicians feel they have no say over an industry their bills fund, and the councils give them a seat at the table. What they don't yet give is a lever. Cunliffe envisaged regional planners with authority over investment. The councils as announced draw up plans that "feed into" a process still run by companies and the regulator. Until the Water Bill defines their powers, companies face a new set of stakeholders to manage rather than a new decision-maker to satisfy.

For companies, the practical risk is a mismatch between regional priorities and what the regulator will fund. Councils that ask for faster action at Windermere or more supply around Cambridge will raise expectations that the price review then has to price. Companies that already run joint plans with combined authorities will find it easier to shape the agenda. Whether the councils become the "missing middle" or a consultative layer depends on drafting that has not yet been published.

## Sources

- [GOV.UK — Communities to get a stronger say over billions of pounds of water investment](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/communities-to-get-a-stronger-say-over-billions-of-pounds-of-water-investment)
- [Water Magazine — Eight regional water councils to shape billions in investment](https://www.watermagazine.co.uk/2026/11/05/eight-regional-water-councils-to-shape-billions-in-investment/)
- [8point9 — Campaigners welcome new regional water councils for England](https://8point9.com/campaigners-welcome-new-regional-water-councils-for-england/)
- [LBC — Mayors could be given powers to oversee water companies (16 September 2026)](https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/mayors-control-water-companies-5HjdhYP_2/)
- [GOV.UK — Sir Jon Cunliffe speech on the Independent Water Commission final report (21 July 2025)](https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/sir-jon-cunliffe-speech-on-the-independent-water-commission-final-report)
- [GOV.UK — Government unveils biggest overhaul to water in a generation (January 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-unveils-biggest-overhaul-to-water-in-a-generation)
- [GOV.UK — A new vision for water (white paper)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-new-vision-for-water-white-paper/a-new-vision-for-water)