I co-hosted a meeting in Parliament for MPs with the People’s Commission on the Water Sector, so MPs could hear exactly why public ownership is the only way to fix our broken water system.
Over 15 MPs joined our meeting – proof of how much pressure activists have created across the country.
Following the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 and the Cunliffe Review, the Government published a Water White Paper in January 2025, an indication of their plans to address the crisis of water pollution and shortage, and provide a vision for the sector.
But according to experts like the People’s Commission, these reforms will not go far enough, because they leave the current rip-off private system untouched.
Despite 82% of the population favouring of public ownership, despite the glaring evidence of the failures of privatisation – record sewage pollution, crumbling pipes, untenable debt and billions to investors and creditors – the very possibility of public ownership has been excluded from every discussion on water reform by this Government.
That’s why the People’s Commission on the Water Sector delivered robust evidence, drawing on both national and international expertise, that public ownership can secure better outcomes for the public and the environment.
We heard from Professors Rebecca Malby and Dr Frances Cleaver (The People’s Commission), Ash Smith (The Sewage Campaign Network/ Windrush Against Sewage Pollution) and activist Feargal Sharkey.
We discussed:
- How more regulation will not keep water companies in check – execs have easily worked around increased regulation like the bonus ban;
- How keep our water private will be more costly to bill payers than under public ownership;
- How water is cheaper, cleaner and fairer under public ownership;
- How evidence shows placing participation and deliberative democracy at the centre of the system strengthens public water models.
It is Parliament’s duty to properly investigate the possibility of taking our water back into public ownership given this evidence.
It was a pleasure to see so many colleagues attend to listen to this compelling evidence and hear the case for a better, people-led system. We need more MPs to hear it – thankfully, the pressure coming from the public and activists across the country continues to build.
If you agree that our water below in public hands, help me show the strength of public pressure and add your name to the People’s Plan for Water: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/water-belongs-to-all-of-us-back-the-peoples-plan-for-water?source=clivewebsite&
Thank you to my colleagues who attended:
- Alistair Carmichael (Lib Dem)
- Anna Dixon (Labour)
- Baroness Jenny Jones (Green)
- Barry Gardiner (Labour)
- Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru)
- Chris Hinchliff (Labour)
- Claire Young (Lib Dem)
- Gideon Amos (staff) (Lib Dem)
- Ian Byrne (staff) (Labour)
- Mark Garnier (Conservative) (Staff)
- Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour)
- Freddie Van Mierlo (Lib Dem)
- Julia Buckley (Labour)
- Ruth Jones (Labour)