I spoke at the launch of a campaign against Yorkshire Water in Sheffield, alongside Olivia Blake MP, Sophie Conquest from WeOwnIt, and Councillor Minesh Parekh from Sheffield City Council.
In an industry with poor performance, Yorkshire Water Stands out. According to Yorkshire Bylines, the company dumped raw sewage into rivers more than 68,000 times in 2025 and lost 95 billion litres of water through leaks. Meanwhile, Yorkshire Water’s boss Nicola Shaw received a £1.3mn payment via an offshore parent company.
Many attendees were angry and frustrated that Yorkshire Water remained in private hands, given its poor performance and profiteering. People also said they did not understand why the government still will not consider public ownership of water companies given the scale of the problems.
It was a pleasure to see so many local residents come together to reject private ownership of water and seek alternatives to this failing model.
