Water resources charge proposals from April 2022
Applies to England
Detail of outcome
Feedback received
Detail of feedback received
We received 187 responses, with 143 online and 44 written responses. Of these respondents were organisations and trade associations representing larger numbers of interested parties and charge payers. The breakdown of responses by customer group were:
- 65 individuals
- 111 organisation or groups
- 11 others
Read ‘Water resources charge proposals from April 2022: summary of consultation responses’ for:
- the themes raised in the consultation and our response to each
- information on the responses to each question, given in annex 1
- a list of respondents, given in annex 2
- additional information, given in annex 3
The Economic impact assessment presents the analysis and findings on the potential impact of our charging proposals for water resources.
Original consultation
Consultation description
We want to reform our water resources charging scheme so it’s fairer, works better for business and the environment and is financially sustainable.
We issue water abstraction licences to allocate water and so we can manage water resources. We get funding for this from abstraction or impounding licence charges.
We have not increased charges for 10 years, except for one change to the application fee. During this time the work and cost to manage water resources has increased. We are not fully recovering costs for the water resources service we need to provide.
Our proposed changes to the charging scheme will increase our income and help us manage water better. It will:
- mean better access to water and security of supply for the public and business
- make our charges fairer for our customers
- mean we can invest more in our assets to make sure they are safe, effective, cost efficient and resilient
- allow us to better monitor water so it’s available for our customers when they need it
- enable us to modernise the regulatory regime and provide better digital services for our customers
- help us protect and enhance the environment using a more sustainable approach to water abstraction – in particular for rare and sensitive habitats
- mean we can better prepare for protecting the environment, businesses and the public during prolonged dry weather
Documents
Updates to this page
Published 18 August 2021Last updated 1 April 2022 + show all updates
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Under 'Detail of outcome' added a link to' Environment Agency (Environmental Permitting and Abstraction Licensing) (England) Charging Scheme 2022.'
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Published the Consultation response document and Economic impact assessment. This includes a summary of responses by theme with our response, Annex 1 - information on the responses to each question, Annex 2 - list of respondents and Annex 3 which gives additional information.
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First published.