About us
WRSE is an alliance of the six water companies that cover the South East region of England. Our aim is to secure the water supply for future generations through a collaborative, regional approach to managing water resources.
Developing a regional resilience plan for all users of water is central to our activities. This plan will be used as a blueprint for water supply investment by each water company in the region – so we can provide an affordable, resilient and sustainable water supply that delivers for the public, industry and the natural environment for years to come.
Chris Murray MBE is independent Chair of WRSE….
"The water resource challenges we face in the South East are substantial, more so than other parts of the country. However, the size of the prize is enormous and it’s our job at WRSE to bring people together and drive the collaboration needed to achieve our shared goal of more sustainable and resilient water supplies for all users, through the development of this ambitious regional plan."
WRSE structure and governance
The changes being made to how WRSE works means we have also changed how we are structured and governed. This will allow:
- greater access for a wider set of stakeholders to influence the process, decision-making and delivery of solutions so our plan is truly multi-sector
- stronger links with other regional groups
- greater use of markets and competition.
Short history
WRSE was originally set up back in 1996. It came about when the benefits of regional cooperation between water companies became evident following a water company takeover enquiry.
We identified ways that more water could be shared between some companies in the South East. The result? Four new water transfers which shared up to 33 million litres of water a day. WRSE has been at the forefront of this type of collaborative work ever since.
By 2006, WRSE had established some principles and commitments and started to develop a regional computer model to help inform the region’s water companies prepare their statutory Water Resource Management Plans (WRMPs).
For the first time, WRSE carried out regional modelling and produced a regional plan for the South East which informed the Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs) of our six member companies, for 2020 to 2070.
Today, our focus is on delivering a best value regional plan that will be used as a blueprint for water supply investment by all six water companies across the South East – by working with regulators and other stakeholders from across the UK.
In 2025, we will publish our 2025 to 2075 regional plan for the south east, which was developed in partnership with the WRSE member companies.
