George slams Government as water bill support dries-up

West Cornwall Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George accused government ministers of abandoning hard-pressed local water rate payers during a cost-of-living crisis, following their decision to end the annual £50 contribution towards South West Water (SWW) bills.

Mr George said ministers had missed an opportunity to use the government bill’s support grant to secure concessions from South West Water, which has continued to reward its executives and shareholders while sewage discharges have multiplied. SWW has charged the highest water bills in the country since privatisation, and coupled this with poor service quality and persistent sewage dumping.

The £50 contribution was secured by the Liberal Democrats in 2013, and was a crucial measure to help mitigate the financial strain on customers in Cornwall and the South West.

Mr George has campaigned with his Liberal Democrat colleagues to combat what he’s described as the “abuse of monopoly power by companies which operate without risk and can pre-determine their profits a year in advance”.

He added:

“Cornish water bill payers are already paying exorbitant rates for a service that fails to meet basic quality standards and continues to discharge sewage into our waters. Naturally, we never anticipated this assistance would continue forever, but we expected government ministers to use it as a bargaining chip to secure better outcomes for bill payers. But this – in the way it has been announced – will hit households hard – affecting people who are already struggling to pay their bills.

“I’ve already raised concerns in Parliament about the way the government is handling this crisis and will be raising further questions in the coming days. I and my colleagues will hold the Government and South West Water accountable for ensuring the company cleans up its act and stops taking customers for granted.”