Restoring Public Confidence in the UK Water Industry

How a Participatory Learning Network Could Deliver Long-Term Strategic Renewal

The UK’s water industry stands at a pivotal moment. Sir Jon Cunliffe’s 2025 interim report for the Independent Water Commission has revealed deep-seated systemic issues: a fractured strategic vision, a labyrinthine legal framework, weakened public trust in regulation, opaque corporate governance, and deteriorating infrastructure. While the final recommendations are forthcoming, it is already evident that a piecemeal, conventional approach will not suffice.

The scale and complexity of these challenges demand a radically new model of governance and long-term strategic development, one rooted in cross-sector learning, public engagement, and systems thinking. A Participatory Learning Network (PLN) - a collaborative ecosystem that bridges government, regulators, industry, academia, and citizens - could restore public confidence and ensure that future strategy is resilient, inclusive, and capable of adapting to emerging challenges.

Paul Barnett, Founder of the Enlightened Enterprise Academy proposes that the UK government initiate the creation of such a network as part of its response to the Commission’s findings. In doing so, it can pioneer an institutional model that could be emulated across government and by other public sector organisations.

The Crisis of Confidence in the UK Water Sector

Sir Jon Cunliffe’s interim report identifies not just operational weaknesses, but a legitimacy crisis. Public trust in water companies and regulators has eroded. Citizens are increasingly aware of issues such as sewage discharges, water leakage, corporate dividends, and underinvestment in infrastructure. This distrust is compounded by a governance system that appears fragmented and reactive.

The report highlights the absence of a coherent long-term strategy from government, a proliferation of regulatory roles and remits, and a lack of clear accountability. Moreover, it underscores the disconnect between environmental, economic, and public health objectives, a clear signal that the current system cannot manage complex, interconnected challenges effectively.

The Limits of Conventional Reform

Historically, institutional reform in the UK has followed a technocratic pattern: government commissions a review, the regulator is instructed to tighten enforcement, companies are urged to clean up their act, and a few new KPIs or penalties are introduced. These measures often produce short-term improvements, but rarely shift the underlying dynamics.

This is because the problems are not only technical. They are systemic and cultural. The water industry operates within a siloed, linear system, where learning is slow, feedback is muted, and innovation is stifled. Key actors (e.g., engineers, regulators, communities) are often disengaged from strategic decision-making. In such an environment, even well-intentioned policy fails to deliver transformation.

Without a mechanism for ongoing collaboration, shared learning, and stakeholder alignment, the next wave of reforms may simply repeat past cycles of crisis and temporary resolution.

PLNs : A Framework for Long-Term Strategy

A Participatory Learning Network (PLN) is a dynamic, evolving system designed to address complex societal challenges through continuous learning, collaborative sense-making, and co-creation of solutions. Unlike traditional governance models that separate policy formation from implementation, or regulation from lived experience, PLNs integrate diverse voices into an ongoing process of mutual accountability and adaptive problem-solving.

At their core, PLNs: