The All Party Parliamentary Water Group brings together Parliamentarians and stakeholders from across the UK water sector to discuss the issues impacting the sector.
About the Group
The All Party Parliamentary Water Group provides a forum for Parliamentarians and interested stakeholders to monitor government and regulatory policy and maintain a dialogue with government, Parliament, the water sector and a wide range of other interested groups. The Group has been running for nearly 10 years and is one of the most active All Party Groups in Parliament, holding regular meetings throughout the year on a wide range of topics.
The Group Officers
The Group is led by a cross-party team of officers, headed by our Group co-chairs, Angela Smith MP and Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.
Angela Smith MP, Co-Chair
Angela Smith was Shadow Water Minister from April 2014 to September 2015, having previously served as Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, and is now a leading member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. She has been the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge (formerly Sheffield, Hillsborough) since May 2005 and is one of the party’s leading voices on environmental and conservation issues.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, Co-Chair
Anne McIntosh was elevated to the peerage as Baroness McIntosh of Pickering in October 2015 following a long career as first an MEP, from 1989 to 1999, and then as Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton (formerly Vale of York) from 1997 to 2015. She has a huge range of experience and expertise in environmental policy having served as Shadow Environment Minister from 2007 to 2010 and as Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee from 2010 to 2015.
Neil Parish MP, Vice Chair
Neil Parish is a former MEP who was elected as the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton at the 2010 general election. During his career in the European Parliament, from 1999 to 2009, he sat on the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. He has served as Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee since 2015, having been re-elected following the 2017 general election.
The Earl of Selborne, Vice Chair
The Earl of Selborne is a respected ecological expert and former Chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee in the House of Lords. He has been a Peer since 1971 and has served in a wide range of senior roles including as President of the Royal Agricultural Society from 1987 to 1988, as President of the Royal Geographical Society from 1997 to 2000 and as a Patron of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.
Lord Bird, Vice Chair
Lord Bird is a cross-bench Peer and founder of the Big Issue. He was brought up in an orphanage, served time in a young offenders institution, and often slept rough in London. He began working in factories in his 20s and became a printer, before going on to co-found the Big Issue. He is non-political but has advised Government on how best to lift people out of poverty through harnessing their own energies. As well as his long standing interest in tackling poverty, he is passionate about water, desalination and social enterprises that empower water projects in the developing world.
Luke Pollard MP, Secretary
Luke Pollard was elected as the Labour MP for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport in 2017. With a background in campaigning he has worked at a variety of organisations including Sainsbury’s, Cancer Research UK, and ABTA, the trade association that represents holiday companies. His interest in the water industry stems from time spent working at South West Water, as well as frequent concerns raised by residents on the doorstep about the affordability of water in his constituency.
The adoption of Sustainable Drainage Systems
Please note the change in meeting room to Committee Room 20
Date: Wednesday 20 June 2018
Time: 5.00pm to 6.00pm
Venue: Committee Room 20, House of Commons
Join us at the next meeting of the Group on Wednesday 20 June from 5.00pm to 6.00pm in Committee Room 20 of the House of Commons.
With increasing urbanisation and development, there is greater focus being placed on the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to deal with surface water and prevent flooding. This meeting will explore how water companies, and the wider sector, can play a more active role in relation to the adoption of SuDS, and overcome the barriers that cause problems in their effective implementation.
We are delighted that the APPWG will hear from David Strang, Senior Legal and Policy Adviser at Water UK.
Register to attend
APPWG Annual Water Innovation Reception
Group materials
January 2017 – Cyber Security and Data Management
February 2017 – Annual General Meeting
March 2017 – Water Resource Management
June 2017 – AGM and Affordability in the Water Sector
December 2017 – Are we planning for the skills for the future?
February 2018 – Water Infrastructure and the National Policy Statement for Water Resources
March 2018 – Better Water Usage and the 25 Year Environment Plan
April 2018 – The introduction of retail competition: one year on
Group Sponsors
The Group is supported by a range of organisations across the water sector who help fund the running of the Group via its secretariat, Connect. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Group please contact appwg@connectpa.co.uk.
Contact the Group
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the Group, please contact Fenella Nance at the Group’s secretariat on appwg@connectpa.co.uk.
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