Call for Evidence: Bricks and Water 5

Policy Connect, through the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum (WSBF), is gathering evidence for its fifth Bricks and Water inquiry focused on water resources and reuse.

Over the last seven years, the WSBF has published four policy inquiries on water and housing in England, all chaired by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.  These include Bricks and Water: A Plan of Action for Building Homes and Managing Water in England (2018), Bricks and Water: Building Resilience for England’s Homes (2021), Bricks and Water: Managing Flood Risk and Accelerating Adaptation in a Climate Emergency (2023), and Bricks and Water: Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Policy for a new Government (2025).

The findings of the recent Cunliffe Review drew attention to the challenges associated with water scarcity in England. The report also highlighted the need for better integrated water management, water efficiency, and water reuse. Following a scoping session in September 2025, the WSBF is embarking on a new policy inquiry, which will focus specifically on these issues.

The inquiry will be led again by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering. Findings and recommendations from the work will be tested with an expert steering group, drawn from industry, academia, and the third sector and more details can be found here.

Aim and scope:

The inquiry aims to scrutinise the recent Water White Paper, identify priorities and gaps, and make recommendations to government, ahead of the forthcoming Water Bill on practical measures to achieve benefits quickly.

The recent scoping session identified the following themes as priorities:

• Water resources, including storage, supply, and demand.
• Water efficiency, including household use, commercial use, and leakage.
• Water reuse, including rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, and the use of SuDS