The UK’s water infrastructure is crumbling, and urgent investment is required. Yet the public purse, particularly in this economic climate, is stretched thin. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) could be a sensible solution, with the public sector retaining a degree of control and oversight while enabling private capital to fund critical projects. This approach could allow for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, like modernising treatment plants and reducing leakage rates, without incurring the full cost to taxpayers
Water is our most basic resource. It belongs not to corporations or governments but to the people. By focusing on a hybrid approach that combines public ownership with operational efficiency, we might just find a way to end this era of water mismanagement—and make our rivers, reservoirs, and coastlines something we can be proud of again
First published on X @NoelReforms
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