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.
APPG Water Fringe event at Conservative Party Conference 2017
A green Brexit: Securing the opportunity for healthier rivers
Tuesday 3 October • 12.45pm – 2.00pm
Victoria Suite, Midland Hotel • Manchester
Join WWF, Yorkshire Water, and United Utilities to explore how we can tackle one of the most urgent environmental issues facing the UK today, the declining health of our iconic rivers.
A healthy natural environment is at the heart of a resilient and effective water sector and this event will hear from a range of voices on how the government, water companies and other stakeholders can ensure there is an improved level of protection for the water sector once the UK has left the EU.
Chaired by:
Baroness Anne McIntosh, Co-Chair, All Party Parliamentary Water Group
Speakers:
Neil Parish MP, Chair, EFRA Select Committee
Glynn Davies, Executive Director of Global Programmes, WWF-UK
Steve Mogford, CEO, United Utilities
Paul Carter, Political Engagement Manager, Yorkshire Water
If you’d like to attend, please email appwg@connectpa.co.uk
Group materials
Jan 2016 – Preparing for retail competition
April 2016 – Domestic Competition in the Water Sector
September 2016 – The Implications of Brexit on the Water Sector
January 2017 – Cyber Security and Data Management
February 2017 – Annual General Meeting
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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