Policy paper

Water Management Plan 2025 to 2026

Published 9 March 2026

Purpose

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to delivering public services in a way that is environmentally responsible, resource-efficient, and aligned with the UK Government’s sustainability goals. As part of our broader estates sustainability strategy, the Water Management Plan outlines our approach to reducing water consumption, improving efficiency, and mitigating environmental impact across our estate.

Water is a vital resource, and its responsible management is essential to ensuring long-term environmental resilience and operational sustainability. The DWP recognises its duty to lead by example in the public sector by embedding water stewardship into its estate operations, facilities management, and procurement practices. This plan sets out the framework for how we will monitor, manage, and reduce water usage across all DWP sites, while maintaining service delivery and workplace standards.

The Water Management Plan supports the Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) and contributing to the following: By 2030, the government will reduce its potable water consumption by at least 3% from 2025 to 2026 levels. Through collaboration with suppliers, facilities teams, and building users, we aim to foster a culture of water awareness and continuous improvement.

This plan also aligns with DWP’s Corporate Transformation goals by integrating sustainability into our estate modernisation efforts. By investing in water-efficient technologies and infrastructure upgrades, we aim to future-proof our buildings and reduce operational costs over time.

The Water Management Plan is not just about reducing consumption it is about creating a more resilient, responsible, and sustainable public estate. Through practical management and continuous improvement, DWP will ensure that water remains a valued resource, supporting both environmental and organisational outcomes.

Objectives

Key objectives of the plan include:

• establishing accurate baselines for water usage across the estate
• identifying and prioritising high-consumption sites for targeted interventions
• implementing smart metering and monitoring technologies to improve data quality
• promoting behavioural change through staff engagement and awareness campaigns
• ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and best practice standards

Scope

This plan covers all sites where the responsibility for water payment lies with DWP.

For sites where DWP is the primary tenant and sub-tenants are present, the entire site will be treated as a single entity due to metering complexities. These sites will continue to be included in water management communications and best practice training.

Excluded from reporting:

Water used by tenants 

DWP shares premises with other Government departments, public bodies, and private companies. In these cases, water usage by tenants is excluded because DWP cannot monitor or influence their consumption. Including this data would not support DWP’s water management goals, as we lack authority to enforce changes or improvements. 

Water outside the property boundary 

Any water usage that occurs beyond the physical boundary of the property — such as external infrastructure or public utilities — is excluded. As leaseholders, DWP does not have control over these areas, and responsibility lies with landlords or water companies. 

Property where we are a sub-tenant

In locations where DWP is a sub-tenant, we may not have the authority to implement water-saving policies or breakdown our water usage from that of the primary tenant. This makes it impractical to include such data in our water management strategy. DWP staff at this location will still be involved in water saving communications and best practice so that we still have a positive impact on water consumption.

Temporary activities 

Water used for short-term or non-routine activities is excluded due to its irregular nature and lack of predictability. These activities are not part of the day-to-day operations and therefore fall outside the scope of ongoing water management efforts. These may include but are not limited to:

• firefighting related activities
• construction based activities

Service charged properties

Properties where the utilities including water are contained within the rent are to be excluded as the DWP will be unable to meter these supplies.

Baseline data

In the 2024 to 2025 financial year the water usage across the DWP estate was:

Total m3	M3/FTE	M3/M2
308,258 m3	3.42	0.24

Targets

Target	Description	Due by
Reduce water demand by 5%	Reduce water demand across the estate in line with GGC requirements	2030
Install AMRs (Automated Meter Reader)  across the estate	Roll out AMR meters to sites assist with invoicing and leak detection	March 2027
Develop a leak detection and response procedure	Work with our FM to establish a robust and efficient leak detection process.	March 2027
Identification of, and plans to reduce, impacts on water quality such as through use of chemicals	Work with our FM and suppliers to identify any chemical impact we may have on water and develop a plan to mitigate.	August 2026
Water Audits	Work with our FM to complete water audits across the estate	March 2028

Consumption of Water will continue to be monitored monthly by the Department and reported quarterly via the Greening Government Commitments.

AMR Installation

DWP has commenced the installation of AMR meters across its estate, prioritising sites with the highest consumption. Installation at the remaining locations is scheduled to begin during the 2026 to 2027 financial year, with full implementation targeted for completion by March 2027. This will be tracked within the water management tracker.

Water saving interventions:

Within the water management tracker DWP will have plans and track what interventions it plans to undertake to reduce water usage across the estate. This will be based on the highest consuming sites of m³/FTE for the previous financial year on sites that have not had interventions completed. This will ensure that highest consuming sites are prioritised first and the remaining estate is completed.

Retrofit

For the Department to meet its water reduction targets, retrofitting of water saving devices will be required across the estate.

The devices considered included for consideration, but not limited to are:

• flow restrictors
• dual flush cisterns
• low flow cisterns
• Passive Infrared (PIR) urinal controls
• waterless urinals
• low flow shower heads
• efficient white goods such as dishwashers (when they need replacing)
• zip taps and point of use water heaters

Where resources permit, the Department will prioritise sites that have not yet been equipped with water-saving devices, focusing on those with the highest water consumption. In line with the Department’s design standards, water-efficient measures will be incorporated during major refurbishment projects to ensure long-term sustainability. Additionally, DWP will maintain comprehensive records of sites and implemented measures to enable accurate monitoring and ensure the effective delivery of water-saving initiatives.

Non-potable water use evaluation

As part of this plan, DWP has evaluated the potential use of “how non-potable water (including rainwater harvesting and water recycling) can be used to reduce potable water consumption”

DWP has concluded that its estate is not currently suitable for non-potable water to be used within its buildings, this is due to the complexities of a leasehold estate.

• high upfront costs
• long payback period
• risks of cross contamination causing health issues
• space requirements
• ongoing maintenance
• complexities of installation

Internal Water Efficiency expertise

The following outlines the key stakeholders within DWP, highlighting their expertise and the roles they will play in driving water efficiency initiatives.

Stakeholder	Responsibilities
Utilities and Sustainability Team	Water metering installations, data reporting, rollout of water saving devices
Asset Intelligence Team	Water hygiene and associated legislation
Facilities Management	Ensuring water devices are maintained and report back to DWP of any water leaks identified through maintenance
Senior Leadership Team	Provide resources required to effectively reduce water consumption in line with GGC requirements
Communications Team	Assist with the distribution of communications that encourage positive behaviour change around water usage
Sustainability Champions	DWP sustainability ambassadors, engaging with colleagues at sites, promoting initiatives, including water efficiency, to help meet GGC targets
Helpdesk	Notify relevant teams of water leaks that have been reported in a timely manner
Water Retailers	Assist in identifying potential water leaks by alerting DWP to unusual consumption spikes and charges. Provide leak detection services
Water Wholesalers	Monitor network consumption and alert users to potential leaks

Coordination

The coordination of water efficiency with the DWP will be as follows:

Facilities management contractor:

• water management plan

• leak detection

Utilities team:

• smart meter roll out

• procurement of water contractors and services (via DWP commercial team)

• monitoring of water consumption

Sustainability team:

• updating of guidance

• implementation of retrofit water devices

• environmental policy

• responsible for water efficiency coordination

• coordination with sustainability strategy team for communications with Champions

Governance and coordination:

• DWP and our FM to meet monthly to discuss progress of water implementation measures

• Progress against targets will be reported in GGCs and DWP Estates Senior Leadership Team

Nature based solutions (NbS)

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) are defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and other global frameworks as actions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges — such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and human well-being — while providing benefits to both nature and people.

While DWP Estates has made progress in sustainability and decarbonisation, there are various reasons why it may not yet fully meet the criteria for nature-based solutions:

1. Limited integration of ecosystem services
NbS require the active use of natural systems (for example, wetlands, green roofs, urban forests) to deliver services like carbon sequestration, flood mitigation, and air purification. DWP’s current estate strategy may focus more on energy efficiency and carbon reduction through technological or infrastructure upgrades rather than ecosystem-based approaches.

2. Urban and built environment focus
A considerable amount of the DWP estate is in urban or heavily developed areas, which limits opportunities for large-scale ecological restoration or biodiversity enhancement. NbS typically involve land-use changes or natural landscape interventions that may not be feasible in these settings.

3. Lack of co-benefits for nature and people
NbS are designed to deliver co-benefits — such as improved biodiversity, community engagement, and climate resilience. If DWP’s sustainability initiatives are primarily focused on operational efficiency (for example, LED lighting, HVAC upgrades), they may not generate the ecological or social co-benefits required to qualify as NbS.

4. Absence of nature-led design principles
NbS projects often begin with nature as the foundation of the design process. DWP’s estate transformation may not yet incorporate nature-led planning, such as using green infrastructure to manage stormwater or designing outdoor spaces to support pollinators and wildlife.

5. Leasehold status
As the DWP estate is leasehold, the Department will require landlord approval for any interventions for which there is no guarantee of approval.

Waterwise Checkmark

The Department has decided not to proceed with the Waterwise scheme after a review of its feasibility across the estate. Due to the significant size and complexity of the DWP estate, implementing the scheme would require substantial investment without delivering proportionate benefits. The analysis concluded that the initiative would not represent good value for money for taxpayers, and resources will instead be directed toward measures that provide greater efficiency and sustainability impact.

Appendix 

Staff figures based on 90,000

Size of the Estate based on 1,259,992 this is the total M₂ in Q4 of GGC report for 2024 to 2025.