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, Alex Davies-Jones MP and Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.
Alex Davies-Jones MP, Co-Chair
Alex Davies-Jones was elected as the first female MP for Pontypridd in December 2019 for the Labour Party. Prior to her election she was a Community Engagement Manager for Welsh Water, and was first elected as a Councillor in Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council in 2012. Alex brings her industry expertise to the group combined with her first-hand experience of living and representing an area affected badly by flooding.
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.
Information on all the group’s officers can be found here.
Agriculture Bill: a new opportunity for the water industry
Join us at our next virtual meeting of the APPG on the Agriculture Bill and the opportunity it presents for the water industry.
Brexit means that the UK is leaving the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy which in turn has led to a new Agriculture Bill, currently making its way through the legislative process. This bill proposes giving the Secretary of State new powers to provide financial assistance to those managing land and delivering public benefits such as air and water quality, public access and productivity.
OFWAT have identified that these funds could be a potential new income stream for water companies which could help in meeting ambitious targets to tackle climate change. Additionally, the bill presents new opportunities for water companies to work with other environmental stakeholders such as farmers on land management.
During this meeting, we will discuss the benefits of the Agriculture Bill and where it could go further in tackling the challenges that the industry faces.
Time: 5.00 – 6.00pm
Date: Wednesday 15 July 2020
Venue: Virtual meeting via Zoom
Register to attend
Group materials
2020
MINUTES: May 2020 – Covid-19: How is the industry responding?
PRESENTATION: May 2020 – Covid-19: How is the industry responding?
2019
February 2019 – Price Review 2019
April 2019 – Future of the Water Sector
May 2019 – Brexit and the Environment Bill
2018
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
June 2018 – The Adoption of Sustainable Drainage Systems
July 2018 – Is there a crisis of trust in water companies?
September 2018 – AGM and Quality of water and rivers: One year on from WWF’s report, Flushed Away
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 finding out more about the role of a sponsor, 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 Beth Sidwell at the Group’s secretariat on appwg@connectpa.co.uk.
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