A Stream Steering Group was convened on 2026-06-02. The Steering Group comprises experts that represent [Stream] water companies, regulators, research, innovation bodies and government. Co-chaired by Icebreaker One and NWL, the group’s primary function is to help provide leadership and market signalling.
Date: Tuesday 02 June 2026 10:00-12:00 BST
Location: online
Co-Chairs: Melissa Tallack (NWL); Gavin Starks (IB1)
Secretariat: IB1
Meeting Aims
- Outcomes reviewed and endorsed
- Direction set for Q4 2026 and beyond
Summary:
- It was agreed (subject to the formal voting form to follow) that:
- Members must respond to the previous meeting’s votes as soon as possible.
- Members accept the need to transition Stream to a more robust legal footing as a separate legal entity, provided identity and continuity are preserved.
- Members support the website redevelopment roadmap and direction of travel.
- Members should ensure their EIR teams are directing people to Stream.
- It was noted that:
- Environmental Information Requests (EIRs) have a perceived increase despite proactive data publishing, possibly due to more AI‑generated requests – this should be monitored.
- Stream’s progress is sometimes constrained by external dependencies (e.g., CReDO/CaSTCo) and should focus more on outcomes within its control.
- Stream BAU has varying needs, maturity and internal awareness in water companies.
- Ofwat is increasing its focus on AI adoption, regulatory reform, and potential AI sandboxes
- The Stream team will follow up regarding AI in Stream’s roadmap, the potential for Stream to be used as a sandbox and involving Ofwat in Stream’s data sharing governance review
- Transitioning to an independent entity could unlock grant funding, agility, and reduced corporate friction.
- It was discussed that:
- The website redesign should better articulate Stream’s value, feel more “alive,” and improve sector engagement.
- EIR standardisation could reduce burden, improve efficiency, and support open data pathways and conformity to regulations, however, cost savings may be limited.
- There is a need for 1‑1 conversations with each member company to understand readiness, BAU status, and internal decision pathways.
- It is important to articulate what happens if the legal transition does not occur, i.e. “the lights go off” – what will the impact to internal business cases be?
- There are growing opportunities in cross‑sector use cases (health, agrifood, energy) and secure research environments.
- Stream needs to manage the risk from multiple innovation bids requiring Stream’s support simultaneously where resources are limited.
- lessons learned from other sectors (e.g. energy, banking, finance, smart data) should be taken into account to facilitate Stream’s next phase to move at pace. Lessons include the tensions between building tech vs building market incentives, regulatory under/over-reach and delivery of frameworks at a reasonable cost that are both adopted and used by the market.
Next meeting: Tuesday 14 July 10:00-12:00 BST
Formal records, including attendees, are maintained by the secretariat.
These are confidential to the Steering Group Members.