David Black will step down as chief executive of the Water Services Regulation Authority, known as Ofwat, at the end of August. His resignation comes less than two months after the UK Government said it intends to abolish the 35-year-old watchdog and merge its responsibilities into a new, broader regulator. Black, who joined Ofwat in 2012 and has served as chief executive since 2021, has overseen a period of heightened scrutiny of the privatised water sector amid criticism over sewage discharges, infrastructure underinvestment and rising consumer bills. He said the agency had secured backing for a £104 billion investment programme and a further £50 billion for new water-resource projects during the most recent price review. Ofwat’s board said an interim chief executive will be appointed while the Government advances its overhaul of water regulation. The forthcoming regulator is expected to combine powers from multiple agencies following a recent review that described the sector’s oversight framework as “broken.”