Review of the Water Resources Management Plan Process (2011)

Waterwise respond to Defra’s call for a review of the first Water Resource Management Plan Process. Feedback includes a problematic lack of co-ordination between Ofwat’s price review process and the WRMP process and a need for more standardised language and metrics.

It is Government policy to review the impact of legislation, post implementation, to establish the costs and benefits of the policy and whether improvements to the process can be identified. In line with this, we have asked the In House Policy Resource1 to review the process which delivered the first round of statutory Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs)2.

This questionnaire is designed to provide input to that Review by exploring the impact of the WRMP process on a sample of organisations including: the water industry, those with a regulatory interest, a range of NGOs and other interested parties.

Your views are very important to us. We want to understand your experience and see how the policy is working in practice. In particular, we want to learn whether, having placed the WRMPs on a statutory footing, the process is delivering the expected benefits – namely public engagement and transparency in water resources management planning. We also want to identify any unintended consequences so that we can consider whether any lessons might need to be taken into account in future policy making and whether improvements to the existing process can be made.

This questionnaire is in 3 sections, not all of which may be relevant to you or organisation. Please feel free to complete as many or as few as apply. We may contact you to discuss your responses in more detail:

• Part 1 – Information about you (asks about you, your role in relation to WRMP, and seeks permission to quote your views in our analysis)

• Part 2 – Process (seeks your general views on the effectiveness of the WRMP process, and your experience of the specific stages)

• Part 3 – General (gives the opportunity for you to add any other information you would like us to consider)

Please complete and return the questionnaire by e-mail to sarah.ridley@dft.gsi.gov.uk or post a hard copy to Sarah Ridley at the In House Policy Resource, Zone 4/12, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR by FRIDAY 21st JANUARY 2011.