Members of the House of Lords will debate the Industry and Regulators Committee's report ‘Time is money: How regulators can support growth’ today on Tuesday 3 November at 3.45pm.
Published on 12 May 2026, the report warned that a combination of unclear guidance from Government, legislative restrictions and the need to balance growth with their other duties might result in regulators failing to meet the Government’s call for them to facilitate innovation and growth and that any such failure could drive new investment away from the UK.
According to the report, the Committee heard extensive evidence on the difficulty of identifying the role of regulators in supporting growth.
"We heard that the perception and operation of UK regulation can affect international investment. Simon Wilde from Oxera explained that the UK is “in a global competition for capital. Investors have choices.” the report says.
Most witnesses stressed the need for regulators to provide long-term stability and predictability to encourage investment and to enable companies to plan ahead. However, many said that that certainty and consistency must be balanced with a degree of flexibility to facilitate innovation.
The report cites Mark Thurston, Chief Executive Officer of Anglian Water, who described long-term stability around a regulatory environment as “crucial for investment” but also alluded to “sufficient flex in the system” so that companies can deal with “emerging demands.”
The Government responded to the report on 8 July 2026.
The meeting will start at 3.45pm.
Click here to watch the debate live on ParliamentLive tv or to catch up later.
Click here to download the report Time is money: How regulators can support growth in full
Click here to download the Government response
South West Water has hosted the first municipal trial of the Fournier Rotary Press in the UK, assessing its potential to improve sludge dewatering performance and support future biosolids standards.
Uniwater has acquired Hy-Ram Engineering, a specialist in tooling, products and hire for the water sector, based in Mansfield, England.
Enpure Ltd and Clean TeQ Water Ltd have announced a collaboration agreement to bring Clean TeQ Water's Moving Bed Ion Exchange-based nutrient removal technologies to water utilities across the UK.
Near-real-time microbial monitoring of wastewater discharge and bathing waters is now possible thanks to the BactoSense ID solution created by Swiss-based bNovate Technologies.
Southern Water has released film and images showing what it’s like to walk inside Hampshire’s expanded Yew Hill underground reservoir for the very last time, before it gets filled with water.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.