Improving urban water supply in the United Kingdom: A literature review

Abstract

A key characteristic of the United Kingdom is universal access to water in urban and rural areas across three administrative regions: England and Wales; Scotland; and Northern Ireland. Urban supply has been excellent, but historically, there have been issues with water quality, charges, and efficiency due to ineffective institutional arrangements. This review looks at changes in these arrangements, the improvements made as to the result of new policies and improved oversight of providers - and important literature covering all this. No significant difference in the varying approaches was noted, recommended improvements are mainly relating to pricing, efficiency, and customer service.