CIBSE, including its Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE), welcomes the publication of the Independent Water Commission’s report, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe. The report addresses urgent and long-standing challenges in the UK water sector, from governance and regulation, to skills and supply chain resilience, consumer protection and public health.
CIBSE supports the direction of travel proposed in the report and sees multiple areas of alignment with our priorities, guidance and the work of our members across the built environment. As professionals involved in the design, specification and maintenance of water systems within buildings, our members play a critical role in ensuring water quality, efficient use, and system resilience, all of which are essential components of a future-proofed water sector.
Key areas of relevance to CIBSE and SoPHE include:
- Public health and water quality: We welcome the proposed public health reforms, including the addition of public health objectives in water legislation and greater focus on pollutants such as PFAS and microplastics. CIBSE and SoPHE members bring deep expertise in building-level water hygiene, Legionella prevention and system design that directly impacts end-user health.
- Competence and professional standards: As an institution committed to raising and maintaining competence across building services engineering, CIBSE supports measures that place greater emphasis on skills and accountability in water-related planning, delivery and regulation.
- Digitalisation and system monitoring: The recommendation to strengthen operator self-monitoring through digitalisation and third-party assurance reflects CIBSE’s own emphasis on data-driven system performance and predictive maintenance. Our members increasingly deploy smart building technologies and water monitoring systems to support operational efficiency and safety.
- Infrastructure and resilience: The proposed changes to how water infrastructure is mapped, maintained and assessed align closely with our advocacy for long-term asset management and climate resilience across the built environment. CIBSE also welcomes the focus on ensuring that resilience standards are consistently applied and forward-looking.
- Strategic planning and systems thinking: The proposed creation of regional planning authorities and a National Water Strategy echoes CIBSE’s own call for integrated, long-term thinking across building services and infrastructure. We particularly support the intention to bring together diverse sectors, including public health, environmental management and local government.
We note that many of the recommendations in the report will be subject to further industry consultation, alongside a White Paper due to be published in the Autumn. CIBSE and SoPHE would welcome the opportunity to contribute to any future engagement with the Government on this important work, particularly around public health, building-level water systems, professional competence and digital innovation.