Development and drought drive a holistic national stakeholder approach to water efficiency in the UK

The prospect of the population increasing by 10% by 2021 in the relatively dry southeast of England and the current drought have galvanised the government into establishing a Water Saving Group (WSG). The WSG is structured to build on and exploit a strong foundation of knowledge and experience of water efficiency developed over the last fifteen years. The paper expands on how the WSG is driving water efficiency and the part each stakeholder is taking in promoting water efficiency. The paper examines the importance of collaborations between the numerous organisations with a stake in the water industry of England and Wales and how different water efficiency challenges have been or might be resolved. To describe how the complex institutional structures in the UK interact to an international audience and highlight progress has lead the authors to consider actions by Leaders, Activists and Society.