Image description: View of the Houses of Parliament in London, with a red and white boat travelling down the river Thames. Photo by Toni Pomar on Unsplash.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has announced that it is to include water regulation as part of five new inquiries, providing scrutiny of the UK government’s spending and delivery across a range of government departments.

The PAC said the programme of inquiries, to held over the coming months, was selected by members of the Committee, in discussions led by the Chair of the Committee, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP. Each inquiry is informed by the work of the National Audit Office.

Committee members will use reports as a starting point and agreed factual basis from which to conduct their scrutiny to hold government to account for how it spends public money. The ‘Regulation of water, energy and broadband’ inquiry will examine the regulation of the water, energy and broadband sectors, with a focus on whether current systems are delivering effective outcomes for customers and value for money.

The cross-sector review will consider the performance of regulators including Ofwat, Ofgem and Ofcom, and is expected to explore how they respond to service failures, affordability pressures and the needs of vulnerable consumers. The committee said it expects to take evidence from senior officials, regulators and consumer rights groups.

For the water industry, Water Magazine reports the inquiry is likely to draw attention to ongoing scrutiny of company performance, investment delivery, environmental compliance and customer trust. The PAC’s announcement arrives amid an ongoing debate around the balance between long-term infrastructure funding, resilience and bill impacts.

The inquiry follows previous Public Accounts Committee reports that raised concerns about regulatory effectiveness across several utility markets.Written evidence can be submitted until 1 May 2026. A related National Audit Office report on regulation across the three sectors is expected later this summer.