Water (Special Measures) Bill

I have always been appalled by the attitude and actions of the privatised water companies since the Conservatives created these ethics-free monopolies more than 3 decades ago. They’ve always put profit, shareholder dividends and senior exec bonuses above public service and environmental protection.

Thank you also for sharing your thoughts and those of ‘Organise’. I agree with the proposals set out in your email. Though the Water (Special Measures) Bill is welcomed by my Liberal Democrat parliamentary colleagues and I, with just 15% of English rivers in good ecological health and the pollution incidents we know about around our coastline having more than doubled in the last 5 years – and given the state of water quality, infrastructure, regulation and finances – we believe this Bill must be more ambitious.

In terms of greater regulation in the water industry, I would like to see:

• Regulatory reform, including replacing Ofwat with a new regulator to bring the environmental and financial regulation of water companies together, to better hold water companies to account and to protect public health and the natural environment.
• The protection of consumers; water bills, and public health.
• Strengthening the powers of local authorities to monitor the health of our rivers, lakes and coastlines, restore our natural environment and tackle climate change.
• Place an independent community environmental champion on every water company board.
• The creation of a public benefit company model. This model would need to work towards becoming debt-free and operate as a not-for-profit. All mutual company ‘profits’ would be reinvested back into the water system and environmental protection, and for public benefit. 
• Improving the quantity and quality of bathing waters and sensitive nature sites with legally binding targets and more regular monitoring.
• Stop the unreliable self-reporting system and replace it with independent and transparent testing of water quality and pollution discharges.
• Strengthen the Environment Agency and give it the resources to hold Companies to account.

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs recently made these points in response to the Second Reading of the Water (Special Measures) Bill in Parliament.  You can find his speech here. I support this and voted accordingly.

Progress is being made since the Conservatives lost the election last July. We will continue to hold the new Labour Government to account on these issues, especially as the Water (Special Measures) Bill progresses through Parliament.