Firstly, apologies for the delay in posting these – an overrunning Parish Council meeting took precedence, I’m afraid…

• Cunliffe report: “Wild West” of water companies must come to an end
• ACOBA: Lib Dems say ministerial payouts for disgraced ministers should be scrapped altogether
• Ofwat scrap: Persistent sewage dumpers must be held criminally responsible
• The Welsh Liberal Democrats respond to concerns over SFS at the Royal Welsh Show
• The Welsh Liberal Democrats respond to the Family Farm Tax at the Royal Welsh Show
• SNP must stop pretending Scotland is immune from sewage scandal

Cunliffe report: “Wild West” of water companies must come to an end

Responding to Sir Jon Cunliffe’s report into the water industry including the call to scrap Ofwat, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron said:

This is a big win for the Liberal Democrats who have led the campaign against the sewage scandal for years. Since 2022 we have called for Ofwat to be replaced with a tougher regulator, now finally the government appears to have listened.

There’s no doubt these major reforms would not be happening if it wasn’t for our record general election win and the millions who voted for us last year.

We will now be studying this report in detail and holding the government’s feet to the fire to ensure these promises are delivered on. The wild west of water companies paying out huge bonuses while ruining rivers with filthy sewage must finally be brought to an end.

ACOBA: Lib Dems say ministerial payouts for disgraced ministers should be scrapped altogether

Responding to reports that the Government is abolishing ACOBA, a Liberal Democrat Spokesperson said:

This is the right step after years of Conservative sleaze which did so much damage to standards in public life. Its lack of powers to enforce the rules it oversaw meant ACOBA was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

The Prime Minister must now go further – ban Ministerial severance payouts altogether for disgraced former ministers, as well as stripping Liz Truss of her access to the ex-PM allowance fund of up to £125,000 per annum.

It shouldn’t have taken a year to set up the Ethics and Integrity Commission – and there will be no excuse if the Government attempts to kick these vital issues into the long grass.

Ofwat scrap: Persistent sewage dumpers must be held criminally responsible

Responding to the Government’s confirmation that Ofwat will be scrapped, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

We’ve been calling for the failing regulator Ofwat to be abolished for years, so clearly this is a step in the right direction.

But fundamentally we won’t sort this broken system out unless water companies can be properly punished by a new tougher regulator.

That means serious and higher fines for water companies and holding persistent sewage dumpers criminally responsible – not just for secret spills, but when they dump raw sewage day-in, day-out.

Whether it is sky-high bills or the destruction of our natural environment, it’s time these failing water companies were held properly to account.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats respond to concerns over SFS at the Royal Welsh Show

Jane Dodds said:

Farmers are rightly concerned about the impact that the SFS will have on farming communities across the country. This week presents a valuable opportunity to raise those concerns.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats, having listened to farmers and farming unions, believe that the Welsh Government’s £238 million budget falls far short of what is needed to support farmers in delivering the outcomes the SFS demands.”

The sheer amount of bureaucracy that farmers face, like the 10% habitat rule, is just another layer of pressure on a community that is already facing immense challenges.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats respond to the Family Farm Tax at the Royal Welsh Show

Jane Dodds said:

The stress on the mental health of farmers that the Family Farm Tax will cause comes at a time where the farming industry is already facing mounting pressures.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats call on the UK Labour Government to scrap the plans as soon as possible.

SNP must stop pretending Scotland is immune from sewage scandal

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said that the SNP must stop pretending that Scotland is immune from the sewage scandal, as Sir Jon Cunliffe publishes a report into the water industry in England, including a call to scrap Ofwat.

In Scotland there were 24,398 sewage dumps recorded in 2024, which lasted for a staggering 208,377 hours. However, this is likely to be a significant underestimate because unlike in England where almost every outflow is monitored, monitoring is far more limited in Scotland.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have led the charge to upgrade Scotland’s water network and clamp down on sewage dumping. In recent months the party has revealed:

• more than 10% of Scotland’s piping uses asbestos piping and that more than half of these pipes are now over their safe lifespan.
• Scottish Water have admitted that dozens of “high-priority” projects to stop the worst sewage releases in Scotland have still not been carried out more than two years on.
• that there are 12 sewage overflow sites deemed by Scottish Water to be at risk of dumping sewage in dry weather, including two sites at Cramond in Edinburgh.
• Scottish Water have been caught with non-compliant sewages sites more than 250 times in just three years.

Meanwhile Scottish Water have increased bosses’ bonuses by more than a third and water bills increased by 9.9% in April.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

The SNP must stop pretending Scotland is immune from the sewage scandal. We know there are tens of thousands of spills every year but no one is taking responsibility.

The Scottish Government needs to start finally taking the sewage crisis seriously and get tough on the government owned water company. That includes looking at whether our own system of regulation is fit-for-purpose.

Thames Water just got fined £100 million for sewage dumping, but there are never any consequences here in Scotland. Perhaps that is because ministers know that it is actually their government that’s at fault for this problem.

To turn the tide on the sewage scandal, Scottish Liberal Democrats have published plans for a Clean Water Act that would bring our sewage network into the 21st century, clamp down on dumping and get to the bottom of this disgusting practice.