Ofwat chief executive to step down ahead of regulator’s abolition
The chief executive of Ofwat is to step down at the end of the month, after the government announced the abolition of the water regulator for England and Wales.David Black has been in the role for four years, and will leave amid intense scrutiny of water companies and their regulators.Ofwat said the government will appoint a new interim chief executive before its abolition.The regulation of the English and Welsh water industry has become a key political issue in recent years, including during last year’s general election, amid a wave of anger over sewage spilling into Britain’s rivers and seas.Black’s decision comes as the government and the environment secretary, Steve Reed, prepare for what they have billed as the biggest overhaul of water regulation since the industry was privatised in 1989.
Ofwat has become a lightning rod for criticism of the sector, including over decades of underinvestment in infrastructure such as reservoirs and water treatment works while companies paid vast sums in dividends and other fees to their owners.Last year, the regulator gave a green light for companies to raise average bills by 36% over the next five years in order to pay for upgrades.After the decision to abolish the regulator, Black felt he had to go, according to a person familiar with internal discussions at Ofwat.However, the board did not want Black to leave and tried to persuade him to stay, the person said.One water company chief executive said they felt that he was the wrong figure to take the fall.
Black said: “I have been privileged to be able to lead Ofwat over the last four years, during which time we have achieved a huge amount together as a team for customers and the environment.The 2024 price review backed an investment programme of £104bn, along with a further £50bn investment in major new water resources which will improve service, environmental outcomes and resilience in the years to come.I wish the team every success as they continue their important work.”Black was appointed interim chief executive in April 2021, and was permanently appointed a year later.He had risen through Ofwat’s ranks after joining as director of economics in 2012.
Iain Coucher, Ofwat’s chair, thanked Black and said: “David has worked tirelessly to bring about transformational change in the water sector.He has sought new regulatory powers and resources to hold companies to account, taken major enforcement action and provided funding and incentive packages that drive continual improvements for customers.”Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotionThe decision to replace Ofwat, revealed by the Guardian, was made after a review published last month by Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, found that the sector was “broken”.The review recommended combining powers from four regulators, including Ofwat, into one.The interim boss of Ofwat will have to tackle several urgent issues.
The UK’s biggest water company, Thames Water, has been locked in talks to try to agree leniency on fines from the regulator, which it has said will be necessary for its lenders to inject billions of pounds of new funding as part of an attempted takeover.The regulator has also faced criticism for pay for water companies deemed by some politicians as excessive, and for the effectiveness of an effort to ban bonuses for the worst polluters.Ofwat was this week directed to scrutinise £1.3m in previously undisclosed pay for Yorkshire Water boss Nicola Shaw, after the Guardian revealed the existence of the payments via Yorkshire’s offshore parent company.The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was approached for comment.
Rugby in US suffers another blow as second team in a week exits MLR
Major League Rugby was reduced to eight teams on Wednesday by the withdrawal of the Miami Sharks, just a week after a founding team quit the competition and two California teams merged.Miami and MLR did not immediately comment but multiple league sources confirmed that the Sharks’ withdrawal after two years in the league was finalized on Tuesday.The Guardian understands that a request to withdraw for 2026 before a potential return in 2027 was rejected by team owners – NOLA Gold, the team that announced its exit last week, having sought a similar arrangement.NOLA and Miami could reapply to play in 2027, the Guardian was told.Last week, after NOLA’s exit and the merger of San Diego Legion and RFC LA, it was widely reported that the league could yet fall to just seven teams, the number that kicked off the competition in 2018
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The NRL showed leniency on Wednesday by letting off Wests Tigers players with a warning after they used a gesture offensive to some Lebanese-Australian communities in Sunday’s victory over Canterbury-Bankstown. But the sanction is unlikely to satisfy everyone given the range of responses elicited, from those outraged to others who believe the act was “just a bit of banter”.Celebrating a second-half try to seal an upset Tigers’ win against the high-flying Bulldogs in pouring rain at Parramatta, backrower Samuela Fainu made a hand gesture known as “the khawd”, and his teammates quickly joined in.Almost one in five residents of Bankstown have Lebanese ancestry, and the Bulldogs’ fanbase has a strong association with Arab communities in Sydney’s west. The club holds an annual Ifthar dinner each year during Ramadan and one of its favourite sons is Lebanon-born former winger Hazem El-Masri
Trump announces he will chair White House taskforce for 2028 LA Olympics
Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the creation of a White House taskforce that he will lead to oversee elements of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.The president signed an executive order establishing the taskforce, which will include JD Vance as well as other cabinet members and government officials. The body will work with local and state authorities on security and transportation for the first Games in the US in nearly three decades.Trump will chair the taskforce, while Vance will serve as vice-chair and an executive director will oversee “daily operations”, according to the White House.“The LA Olympics is shaping up to be a wonderful moment for America
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