Clive Lewis For Norwich South
In January the Government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill was finishing its passage through Parliament.
I said that the issue we have with our water – from pollution to above inflation bill hikes – goes far beyond regulation.
Indeed, our own regulator, Ofwat, has been found wanting, as its own growth duty prioritises business as usual. In other areas, the Government have quite rightly recognised and embraced the value of public ownership, such as in rail and with Great British Energy.
The cost of corruption and of extraction by a private water company should under no circumstances, as is currently configured in the Bill, land on the heads of our constituents should any of these companies go bust or be taken into special administration.
Water is a monopoly industry, which means that bill payers and taxpayers are the same. Constituents should not be asked to pay, via their bills or via tax, for the mistakes and excesses of privatised water.
Read more about my Water Private Members’ Bill, which will be debated in Parliament on the 28th March.