The Plumbers’ 40th Annual Lecture – 12 May 2025

The press is full of the alarming state of the quality of our river waters and public trust in water companies is at an all-time low, with many quick to blame water companies for turning our waterways into sewers. But are they the only ones responsible?

In response, the Government has now launched an Independent Commission to assess the water sector and its regulation.

Its goal is to ensure the UK has a sufficiently robust and stable regulatory framework to attract the investment needed to clean up our waterways, speed up infrastructure delivery and restore public confidence in the sector. The Commission’s recommendations are due to be released in 2025.

Our keynote speakers will explore the origins of how we manage inland waters, the various parties involved, the current state of our waterways and the pressing public concerns regarding water quality. A critical examination will be made of the extent of the crisis and the political drivers behind the ongoing challenges with water management.

Looking ahead, we will investigate potential solutions, focusing on how to implement nature based solutions, catchment wide approaches that deliver multiple benefits for best value. What role should the regulators and regulation have, and how can we create a governance framework that fosters integrated, collaborative delivery across the many stakeholders involved?

Finally, we will consider the expectations of the public — how can we meet their demands and align our efforts with their perceptions, both now and in the future?

This Plumbers’ Annual Lecture is not to be missed and promises to be a fascinating evening!

Please note tickets are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Programme

The event will start at 5:15 pm followed by the lecture at 6:00 pm. This will be followed by the drinks reception at 7:15 pm and an excellent dinner at 8 pm at Brasserie Blanc. The evening will end at approximately 9:30 pm.

Who should attend?

• Liverymen and guests
• Corporate Members and guests
• Apprentices, trainees and students (special concessions apply)
• Anyone interested in our rivers

Tickets

Lecture Only

• £25 Standard (per head)
• £15 Students and under 25 (per head)

Lecture and dinner at Brasserie Blanc

• £85 Standard (per head)
• £75 Students and under 25 (per head)

How to book

Members of the Plumbers’ Company

Please book through the members section of the website.

Non-members

Please book through CIPHE by scanning or clicking the QR code:

https://www.ciphe.org.uk/about/events-diary/wcop-annual-lecture-2025

Dr Peter Matthews CBE

Dr Peter Matthews, CBE, has dedicated over 60 years to water management with a career that spans from front line technical operations in a water utility to the highest level of environmental policy. Originally trained as a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry but switching to the water industry, progressing through the ranks of the Scientific Branch of Greater London Council and Anglian Water to become Deputy Managing Director of Anglian Water International, holding several roles within Anglian Water Group and serving as a board member of several of the Group’s subsidiaries.

Dr Matthews has also held influential roles, including serving on the boards of the Environment Agency and the Port of London, acting as Chair of the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation, before retiring in 2016 as Founding Chair of Natural Resources Wales. Currently, Dr Matthews focuses on volunteering with  the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators, where he leads efforts to shape national policy and practice in water conservation.

Mark Lloyd

Mark Lloyd read Geography at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, completing a Master’s in Environmental Water Management at Cranfield University. He founded Thames21 in 1994, a charity cleaning up London’s rivers, and led the organisation for 11 years. Following this, he served as a CEO of several angling and conservation organisations. In 2019, Mark became Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust, the umbrella body for the rivers trust movement which consists of 67 independent charities in the UK and Ireland, employing over 600 staff. Rivers Trusts work in partnership to restore wild, healthy, natural rivers, valued by all.