Water Companies should be sanctioned

My Liberal Democrat parliamentary colleagues and I have called for the government to impose sanctions, including a halt to any executive bonuses, on water companies including South West Water, after it was announced this week that companies must pay back to customers due to poor performance. South West Water has one of the highest proportions to pay back.

It comes as the new government’s Water Bill is due to be debated in Parliament. Liberal Democrats believe the Bill is only a “half-measure”. We will table an amendment that would enforce an immediate ban on water company bosses’ bonuses.

We have revealed there were 1,612 sewage spills in the West Cornwall constituency last year. This a “watershed” moment for water companies and South West Water in particular.

Conservatives permitted water companies to ignore customers and take them for granted, preferring to fill their boots rather than deal with the sewage spills. This must stop. Especially for SWW, which has one of the worst records.

It may have been asked to pay back less than Thames Water, but they’re smaller and are being instructed to pay back a far larger proportion of their turnover.

The days of rewarding profit over public service must end. Disappointingly, the government’s Water Bill is merely a starting point, but fails to be anywhere tough enough on these polluting firms.

The Liberal Democrats’ amendment would ban water company bosses’ bonuses until leaks are fixed and sewage spills end. Only then will we start to secure a fair deal for water customers.

The amount each water company has been ordered to pay back to customers can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0r84lnng4eo

Data on sewage dumping last year can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_8SpIuEjs7O6NZP4XHM0baL5qtWlfeiWwr45pnJsoY4/edit?gid=0#gid=0