Amiblu’s Managing Director for the Nordics, UK & Ireland, Yännick van den Nieuwendijk, says the Government’s water reforms are just the start, and is calling for the sector to show it is serious in rebuilding public trust.
Yännick has more than a decade of experience leading international teams around the world, in a wide range of positions, including Vice President Energy & Industry at Sweco, Europe’s leading architecture and engineering consultancy, as Sales Director Energy Projects and other managerial roles at Prysmian Group, a world leader in energy and telecom systems.
Speaking to Water Magazine, Yännick said:
“Precisely a week after the Labour Party were elected to form the next government, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced several wholesale reforms to tackle the well-publicised challenges facing the water sector. The pace at which the new government has moved is designed to tap into the public mood. Consistently poor performance has fuelled anger and record levels of distrust. The message from Labour was loud – we will be laser focused on delivery and ensure the sector cleans up its act.
“There were numerous pro-consumer measures announced including creating new customer panels to hold company bosses to account and to strengthen compensation for households. Water companies will also have to place customers and the environment at the heart of their objectives. These reforms have the potential to make a tangible difference; however, the measure likely to make the most impact over the long term is the agreement by the Secretary of State and the regulator Ofwat to ringfence funding for vital infrastructure investments.
“The Asset Management Plan 8 cycle will begin next year. The decision to ringfence infrastructure is a signal to the sector that it must now step up and fix the UK’s crumbling infrastructure. In response, water companies’ proposals to invest £96 billion over this period is welcome, but funding alone will not solve the sector’s challenges.
“Water companies will have to start collaborating with their supply chains to scale up their operations to deliver. Too often this is hindered by a multitude of procurement processes that are bureaucratic and delay shovels in the ground. Another major obstacle for suppliers is each water company has their own standards beyond those set out by Water UK. This leads to additional costs above the millions of pounds often invested by suppliers in reaching those technical standards. Now, more than ever, water companies must welcome new and innovative green technologies to future-proof their infrastructure.
“To rebuild public trust will require tangible improvements to the UK’s water infrastructure, otherwise the Labour Party and opposition parties will continue their crackdown on the sector, however much the sector may protest. Opening up the supply chain by improving accessibility and embracing innovative technologies are vital first steps to this long journey ahead.”
