The director general of Ofwat must resign in a few months while the regulator of the besieged water of Great Britain is preparing to be abolished by the ministers.
Sky News has learned that David Black is preparing to leave Ofwat following discussions with his board of directors, led by President Iain Chemin.
The time of Mr. Black’s exit was not clear on Tuesday afternoon, although sources said that he was likely to go to the near future.
An official announcement could occur in a few days, according to industry sources.
The initiates say that the relationship between Mr. Bedder and Mr. Black has been under pressure for some time.
The managers of the water industry said Steve Reed, the environment secretary, had made the regulator leadership several times at a meeting last month.
It is not known Tuesday who would replace Mr. Black, or if an acting managing director would remain in place until Ofwat is officially rebuilt.
The complexity of the imminent regulatory upheaval means that the offer may not be officially abolished before at least 2027.
Mr. Black took the post of permanent boss of Ofwat in April 2022, having held the post temporarily for the previous 12 months.
He has worked for the water regulator in various roles since 2012.
If confirmed, Mr. Black’s departure will be delivered with the British private water industry and its regulator mired in crisis.
The water companies are undergoing increasing pressure from Mr. Reed, the secretary of the environment, about their allocation of executive premiums, even if the number of serious pollution incidents has skyrocketed.
The UK’s greatest public service, Thames Water, is about to be temporarily nationalized by a special administration regime while he is trying to guarantee a bailout of the private sector led by his creditors.
In a journal published last month, the former deputy of the Bank of England, Sir Jon Cunliffe, recommended that Off be put to the scrap.
He urged the government to replace it with a new organization which would also incorporate the inspection of drinking water and would absorb the functions related to the water of the Environment and Natural England.
Speaking the day SIR Jon’s recommendations were made public, Mr. Reed said: “This Labor government Abolira ofwat.
“Ofwat will remain in place during the transition to the new regulator, and I will make sure they provide the right leadership to supervise the price exam and the current investment plan during this period.”
A white paper on the reform of the water industry should be published in November in order to provide a reset of the performance and supervision of industry, according to industry sources.
A handful of water companies have challenged the offense price determinations, which, overall, described 104 billion pounds sterling in industry during the 2026-30 regulatory period.
English water, northern and southern water are part of those whose spending plans are now evaluated by competition and market authority.
Responding to the Cunliffe report last month, Ofwat said: “Although we have worked hard to solve problems in the water in recent years, this report defines important conclusions on how economic regulations are issued and we will develop and do this before with the government.
“Today marks the opportunity to reset the sector so that it offers better results for customers and the environment.
“Ofwat will now work with the government and other regulators to train this new regulatory body in England and contribute to discussions on Wales options in the report.
“Before the creation of the new organization, we will continue to work hard in our powers to protect customers and the environment and to pay our responsibilities within the framework of current regulations.”
Ofwat was contacted for comments on Mr. Black’s future, while the Ministry of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) was also approached to comment.