Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled Government unveils biggest overhaul to water in a generation, published on 19 January 2026, what improvements to water infrastructure will be made in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency as a result of her Water White Paper.

The Government’s New Vision for Water sets out measures to bring forward a shift towards proactive maintenance of water company assets, and tougher oversight and stronger accountability for water companies to deliver.

This includes providing the new, integrated water regulator with a new Chief Engineer and dedicated supervisory teams for each water company, which will guide companies to focus on fixing crumbling pipes and treatment works and increase grip over water company delivery.

There are several improvements planned for water infrastructure in the Basildon and Thurrock areas, as part of £104 billion of investment across the country to fund essential infrastructure over five years. Further information on Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) actions for water companies to deliver within the 2025-2030 period is available for the public here: Price Review 2024 Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) App. This can be filtered to show the Basildon and Thurrock areas.