The obstacles to Reform’s plan to end hosepipe bans for good

Reform UK has pledged to scrap hosepipe bans and build more reservoirs for tackling water shortages if it entered Government. Climate change is making Britain’s summers drier, leaving politicians scrambling to ensure parts of the country don’t run out of water. Over 27 million people in England and Wales are living under temporary use bans as parts of Britain go more than two months without significant rainfall. The Government’s current strategy involves boosting supply through a series of reservoir-building projects, reducing leakage and cutting the public’s water usage by 20 per cent by 2038. Reform claims it can shore up water supply without reducing consumption and says there would be no need for hosepipe bans if the party was in charge. But many of its proposals would face high costs and take many years to become reality, leaving it unclear who would shoulder the bill and how the party could ensure supply keeps up with demand. Shorts 1. No water reduction targets The Government’s current target is to reduce per capita water consumption by 20 per cent by 2038. It plans to do this in part by rolling out smart metering and ensuring new homes are built to better water efficiency standards. A public awareness campaign was recently launched to encourage people to use less water, including by taking shorter showers. Reform said it would scrap these targets, telling The Telegraph that Britain is “an island blessed with abundant rainfall”. On X, Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said Britain had hosepipe bans “because we’ve been governed by fools”, claiming that countries like Singapore and Saudi Arabia have no water-supply issues despite having fewer natural water resources. But while Singapore and Saudi Arabia do not implement emergency hosepipe bans like in Europe, both have strategies to reduce individual consumption and restrictions on the use of drinking water. Singapore has a target to reduce national consumption to 130 litres per capita per day by 2030 (compared to the UK’s 2038 target of 122 litres per day). The city state is charging higher rates to households that use more water and rolling out smart shower devices in public housing. Saudi Arabia has a target to reduce per capita consumption by 43 per cent to 150 litres per day by 2030. It has just approved strict fines for individuals and businesses that waste drinking water, like failing to install efficient fixings or using a standard hose to wash a car. While experts are sceptical that Britain will meet its future water needs through the Government’s current efforts to reduce use, the vast majority are in agreement that individuals will need to use less water as we respond to our changing climate. It’s unclear how Reform would ensure water demand doesn’t outstrip supply if it abolishes hosepipe bans and removes consumption targets. 2. Build more reservoirs Reform argued that Britain can build its way out of the current supply challenges and pledged to unleash a programme of reservoir building if in Government. While reservoirs are undoubtedly an important way to boost Britain’s water supply, building them is costly and time-consuming. Labour has plans to build nine new reservoirs which, when completed, will be the first large-scale reservoirs built in England since 1992. Reform said it will build more reservoirs by deeming any project that holds over 10 million cubic metres of water a “nationally significant infrastructure” project, meaning it won’t face the same planning constraints. The Labour Government already used this classification for three of the nine planned reservoirs. Planning is certainly an issue getting in the way of reservoir projects, as many have faced fierce opposition from locals and environmentalists. But Reform’s plan doesn’t mention how it would solve the high costs associated with reservoir-building or who would pay for them. Most of the areas facing water supply issues are in the south, where there are no upland valleys that can be more easily converted into reservoirs. Reservoirs on flat terrain require massive engineered walls, which are expensive to build. The cost of Thames Water’s planned reservoir in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, has risen to £7.5bn since the project started and customers will pay it through their bills. Reservoirs also take over a decade to build, meaning they are not a quick fix. 3. Desalination plants Reform also said it will oversee the building of more desalination plants, which convert seawater into drinking water. Mainland Britain currently has one desalination plant, in Beckton, East London. It has operated only a handful of times because of chronic technical failures. Desalination plants are more common in arid countries, particularly in the Middle East – around half of Saudi Arabia’s water comes from desalination, for example. Experts largely agree desalination should become part of the mix as the UK adapts to its changing climate. Anglian Water and South West Water are among those planning new desalination plants within their region. But desalination has two main downsides: high costs and energy use. Thames Water’s plant has cost over £500m to build and maintain, despite having only been run five times. The plants also have a high environmental cost due to the use of chemicals. Like reservoirs, desalination projects are currently funded through customer bills. Reform has not said how it plans to fund new water infrastructure, but it’s likely to need either billpayer or taxpayer funds. As is always the case with large engineering projects, it’s up to the Government to decide whether costly infrastructure warrants the use of public funds, be it in the form of bills or taxes. Experts broadly agree on the need to build reservoirs and desalination plants. But if a reduction in water usage doesn’t come as well, it means the Government will have to build and spend more to keep up – and is this a cost that the public are willing to shoulder? Reform was approached for comment.