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Water is vital to life and livelihoods. Without water, there is no wildlife, no economy, no food, no power, no health, and no society.

We want reliable access to environmentally sustainable water supplies that underpin a vibrant economy and to enable growth. Whether for our taps, for energy security, to grow and produce food, or the many other vitally important ways we use water, they all rely on a secure supply from a resilient and protected environment. Without such a supply, economic growth, food security, power production, industry and wildlife are all put at risk.

The pressure that the water environment is under has not diminished. Over time, an increasing population, a focus on growth, and the impacts of climate change will only add to it. Protecting the water environment means we need to take less water directly from rivers and aquifers and look to other ways to supply it; it means that there will need to be additional development of infrastructure to take water where and when it is available, to store it and to transfer it to places of need. Technological innovation is bringing new demand for water as well, from producing low carbon energy like hydrogen to water being used by new sectors such as in the cooling of data centres.

Resilient supplies of water are critical for all sectors. We need to work together to drive ambition, innovation and delivery to ensure a resilient and environmentally sustainable water supply that can support wildlife and ecology as well as growth, food and energy protection.

This National Framework for Water Resources builds on the foundation provided by the original publication in 2020, as well as subsequent water resources management plans (WRMPs) and regional water resources plans. We want to ensure that the actions included in these plans are delivered and, where needed, are enhanced through policies and funding.

We want to strengthen multi-sector planning. We want water resources planning to continue to develop and evolve to address the challenges going forward at a national, regional, catchment and local scale. Regional water resources groups will need to work with all water using sectors and look at how collaboration across catchments can result in integrated solutions, new and innovative options and help the delivery of the ambitions set out in plans.  All water users need to understand the pressures on the water environment, to be aware of what this means for their businesses and sector and to plan for and deliver the actions they can to be able to ensure a secure and environmentally sustainable supply for all going forward.

 1.1 A national framework for water resources

In 2020 we published the first National Framework for Water Resources, which explored England’s long-term water needs and set out the scale of action needed across all sectors of use to ensure resilient supplies and an improved water environment. This provided a framework for regional water resources groups and the development of regional water resources plans. It looked to progress discussions around improving collaboration on both public and non-public water supply pressures and solutions and to facilitate multi-sector engagement.

While the National Framework provides the structure for an ongoing programme of work around water resources planning, the publication of the National Framework for Water Resources 2025 document and its supporting technical appendices updates the current and future pressures on England’s water resources. It highlights the challenges we face around continued, reliable access to water and the need to protect and improve the water environment.

Water resources planning is not exclusive to water companies. Water resources planning across all sectors of use fit into the National Framework, which deals with uncertainty, enables adaptive planning and provides a call for action and the necessary ambition from all sectors to meet the challenges we face.

Increasing pressure on the water environment means that water users cannot assume the same level of access to water they enjoy now will be there in the future. The National Framework 2025 sets out the actions and pathways that can be taken to ensure reliable access to an environmentally sustainable and secure supply of water, now and in the future.

The National Framework 2025:

• sets out the pressures and challenges for the water environment to 2055 and beyond
• sets the ambition for a sustainable abstraction regime and a protected and improved water environment
• explores potential new demands for water
• sets greater ambition for integrated, joined-up planning between water using sectors and with drainage and wastewater planning
• proposes actions and expectations for different sectors to rise to the challenge of planning for and improving the resilience of water supplies
• provides a steer for regional water resources groups to evolve and continue to innovate

1.2 Regional water resources planning

The launch of the National Framework for Water Resources in 2020 marked a shift towards strategic regional planning, where regional groups made up of water companies and other sector water users form regional plans to build water resilience.

While regional water resources groups have existed in parts of England since the 1990s, the National Framework provided the structure for a more joined-up and holistic approach to water resources management across the nation.

There are now five regional groups working across water company boundaries and sectors to better plan water resources for now and in the future. They have made significant progress in their planning of resilient water supplies in England to 2050 and beyond. Regional planning has enabled the regional groups to explore opportunities for water transfers, moving water to where it is needed. They have started to consider the potential for developing and sharing supplies between sectors and working in partnerships to improve water management in catchments.  There is now widespread recognition of the need for multi-sector planning and looking at demands and integrated solutions including water for food and for energy.

Regional plans have helped drive positive changes. Water companies now look across their own company boundaries and plan for a higher level of drought resilience in the future. This means that emergency restrictions such as rota cuts and standpipes will be needed no more than once every 500 years on average by 2040. The Environment Act 2021 and Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) set out ambitious targets to help customers reduce their water consumption and for companies to reduce leakage. The latest WRMPs set out how this will be achieved through demand management strategies.

These are being supported by the rollout of smart metering and water efficiency programmes. The increased focus on demand management is being accompanied by investment in new supplies for water companies, with the largest investment programme since privatisation. This includes new reservoirs, desalination schemes, and water recycling options.

Some specific benefits of regional planning have included:

• the identification of significant strategic resource options (SROs), such as new reservoirs and national water transfers
• increased cross company and cross regional working, looking to make efficient use of intercompany transfers
• a progression towards more consistent planning
• a greater focus on agriculture through engagement and targeted studies
• integrated Welsh and English policies in cross-border planning
• an unprecedented level of collaboration and coordination across water companies, regions, sectors and regulators, bringing wider knowledge and expertise sharing.
• building water resources capabilities in Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) Catchment Partnerships in collaboration with the Environment Agency
• incorporating a long-term view of environmental needs within water resources plans.
• more stakeholders than ever before engaging in the consultation process

Our ambition remains for a collaborative approach that ensures an improved environment and the security of future water supplies across all sectors of use, while allowing the flexibility needed to account for the different pressures within each region. Given the scale of the challenge between now and 2055, the National Framework provides a renewed focus on the delivery of options and innovation through technical advances.

So far, much of the focus has been on public water supply (PWS) improvements, with varying degrees of non-public water supply (non-PWS) integration within and between the regional groups. This National Framework provides a further opportunity to improve multi-sector planning through the better representation and participation of non-PWS organisations.

1.3 Local water resources planning

It is vital that there is a line of sight between national-scale planning and what planning and delivery means locally, whether at a catchment scale or with clusters of businesses. Success at the local level needs the supporting framework that regional and national levels can provide.

A catchment-based approach is crucial to managing pressures on water resources and supplies. This is particularly important for water using sectors such as agriculture so that abstractors can work together effectively to understand risk and plan for it.

We are strengthening local water resources planning by supporting farmers to establish Water Abstractor Groups (WAGs) and to identify, screen and prioritise collaborative ‘local resource option’ solutions to improve water supply resilience. The sector has been making good progress in this area with new WAGs in the process of being formed with support from the Water for Food Group (which comprises the National Farmers’ Union, UK Irrigation Association, Country Land and Business Association, existing WAGs and others).

Regional groups are ideally positioned to promote further establishment of WAGs and Catchment Partnerships. By incorporating catchment options that support water supply and resilient catchments into their regional plans, regional groups will also deliver shared benefits with water quality, flood risk, habitat creation and water level management.

We want to expand the approach to local water resources planning so that there is a greater opportunity for multi-sector collaboration on options such as water rights sharing and for joined-up proposals for resource development.

1.4 Legislative context

The National Framework is led by the Environment Agency, developed and delivered in collaboration with government, regulators and other stakeholders including the water industry and other significant water using sectors, such as agriculture and energy. It has been developed as part of the Environment Agency’s strategic overview role for water resources and its general duties around:

• securing the proper use of water resources in England, including their efficient use,
• conserving, redistributing and augmenting water resources
• collating and publishing information from which assessments can be made of the actual and prospective demand for water, and of actual and prospective water resources in England.

It sets out jointly agreed policies that government and regulators expect water companies and water using sectors to follow.

Specific elements of the National Framework are, or can be, a statutory requirement.

Water resources management plans (WRMPs) are a requirement for water companies and legislation sets out the process for consultation and subsequent statements of response.

The Environment Act 2021 (S78) introduced changes to the Water Industry Act 1991 (new S39E) to enable the Secretary of State to direct water undertakers to prepare and publish joint proposals for the purpose of improving the management and development of water resources. This provides the ability for the public water supply component of regional water resources plans to be made a statutory requirement. It does not make provision for multi-sector regional water resources plans to be fully statutory, but it does give them a formal footing and it does allow for a requirement for other sectors to be consulted and engaged in the development of proposals.

WRMPs must reflect any relevant regional plan, which has been developed in accordance with the National Framework and any relevant guidance and policy; or provide a clear justification for any differences.

The Secretary of State can call for public inquiries on WRMPs and regional water resources plans will be used as supporting evidence.

The Framework reflects the Environment Agency’s remit and is focused on England. However, Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales have been involved in the work and are represented on the senior steering group (see section 12 which describes the governance of the National Framework). This is to make sure that any proposals that may affect Wales have due regard to the interests of Wales, in particular, sustainable management of its natural resources and Welsh legislation and policies. They are also represented in the Water Resources West group.

Note that the Welsh Government sets the policy framework for water resources planning for water companies wholly or mainly in Wales – which covers part of England and that where plans affect Wales then Natural Resources Wales is consulted. The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales work together to regulate cross border catchments Severn, Dee and the Wye.

The Environment Agency is legally required to exercise a general supervision over all matters relating to flood and coastal erosion risk management in accordance with Part 1 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. We do this through the ‘strategic overview’ role. This allows us to provide strategic leadership for the management of flooding from all sources and coastal change. The strategic overview role is set out in the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England (FCERM Strategy) and the positive actions we are taking with others to deliver the FCERM Strategy is set out in the FCERM Strategy Roadmap to 2026. This role is distinct from the Environment Agency’s operational role for managing flood risk from rivers and the sea.