There is widespread coverage across multiple outlets following the Secretary of State’s roundtable with water company Chief Executives today (11 July).
The Secretary of State made clear that water firms will be held accountable for their performance for customers and the environment.
During the meeting, water bosses signed up to the Government’s initial package of reforms towards ending the crisis in the water sector. These measures include ensuring funding for vital infrastructure investment is ringfenced so it can only be spent on upgrades benefiting customers and the environment, and making sure that customers are at the heart of water company objectives.
These steps sit alongside the Government’s manifesto commitments to put failing water companies under tough special measures to clean up our waterways.
The meeting followed the publication of Ofwat’s draft determinations on water company spending.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed said:
Today’s water bill rises are the result of years of failure.
The new Government will force water companies to tackle illegal sewage dumping into our rivers, lakes and seas. Firm action should have been taken much earlier to ensure money was spent on fixing the sewage system, not syphoned off for bonuses and dividends.
The decisive steps set out today mean this will never be allowed to happen again.
After meetings with water bosses this afternoon, they have now signed up to my initial package of reforms as we work towards cleaning up our water, prioritising the interests of water customers and the environment, and fixing our broken sewage system.
7 comments
Comment by alan wightman posted on
Mr. Steve Reed: `Faire mon Devoir´.
Comment by alan wightman posted on
These privately owned foreign Water Companies will continue to spend minimal profits so words won´t change anything until the bosses of Ofwat are sacked for negligence of the health of general public. Will you replace them Mr. Reed alongside the hierarchy of "self-praising" DEFRA? If not it will be business as usual despite your "proclamations" of change for better.
Check their Annual Financial Reports under headings of "Salaries, Pensions & Performance bonuses. Water Companies should be compulsory purchased by Government 51% to 49% before they "do a runner" when they see their profits "dry up".
Comment by Roger Evans posted on
About time too and the need to fix leaks quikly
Comment by John W Baxter posted on
In the past and to date, water consumers ,aka HM Government, have incentivised water companies to generate electricity at waste water treatment facilities allowing them to generate the revenues needed to keep services in place.
Sadly, the government appointed regulators in the form of Ofwat, EA and DEFRA have let the people of this country down by buying the tosh dished out by the water industry smoothy pedlars.
I cannot believe that our regulators, not unlike the Ofgem regulators who failed consumers in having them pay for their mistakes via standing charges, seem to be about to follow by making consumers pay water companies increased standing charges to cover for past failures to deliver SERVICE.
Water companies know that the way to reduce CSO discharges is to improve and increase treatment capacity, upgrade and modernise existing infrastructure, put in place more water storage capacity on their vast property estates, and instead of going from AMP to AMP with feeble excuses, start to invest in the business that can deliver the funds to provide dividends to the investors…….look after the business and it will take care of you.
Comment by Julie Houldershaw posted on
This is a start, however words are brilliant, but we need action and enforcement to truly be affective. Plus transparency, from research and requests, so far all water companies have storm overflows and emergency overflows that are not permitted. It is up to the water companies to apply for a permit. There is no legislation to force them to apply. We need to have a review done on all waste treatment plants, to access capacity, plus this needs to be done on pumping stations. Then a full review can be done to establish where new homes can be built. lastly we need to know the true state of how aging sewage pipe system. Most water companies do not have all these mapped. It is not helping that all of the highways departments I have information from, 28 approx., do not have all their drainage assets mapped, or know how they work or discharge to.
Comment by Anthony Johnson posted on
About time OFWAT, EA and NE stopped pandering to the water companies.
Comment by Christina Aitken posted on
Good, agree hiw do you get a bonus for sifening bonuses when a bonus was not earned and paying them to, we the public suffer o ce again as bills rise