Tag Archives: ofwat

Mark Valladares

28 August 2024 – today’s press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 28th August 2024 - 10:50 pm

Back from three weeks away, time to pick up the party’s press releases again…

  • Water bills: High time Ofwat were replaced
  • UK-Germany treaty: A positive step forward
  • Erasmus: Disappointing that Govt will not rejoin scheme
  • 170+ artists slam SNP culture cuts
  • Scot Lib Dems comment as FM and Chancellor meet

Water bills: High time Ofwat were replaced

Responding to comments from water firms that despite rising bills for consumers, companies claim this isn’t enough to stop sewage spills, Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

It’s an absolute outrage that British families face sky high bills that continue to rise, whilst water firm CEOs pocket millions of pounds in bonuses, and all the while filthy sewage continues to destroy our seas and rivers.

It’s clear to see that the current regulator Ofwat is not fit for purpose, and it’s high time they were replaced. That is why the Liberal Democrats have been calling for a new regulator to crack down on water companies and hold them accountable to end this sewage scandal once and for all.

UK-Germany treaty: A positive step forward

Responding to UK-Germany treaty talks, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:

This is a positive step forward after years of the Conservatives trashing the UK’s relationship with Europe.

But the new Government needs to be more ambitious about rebuilding stronger ties with our European allies.

That should start with agreeing a Youth Mobility Scheme giving young people the opportunity to easily live and work across the continent.

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Posted in News, Press releases and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , , , and | 10 Comments
The Voice

A hat-trick of Lib Dems kick off first PMQs of the new Parliament

By The Voice | Wed 24th July 2024 - 7:55 pm

The very first person to ask a question of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister ever was brand new Lib Dem MP for Bicester and Woodstock, Calum Miller:

Calum asked:

May I begin by welcoming the Prime Minister to his first questions as Prime Minister? I associate myself with his remarks about the soldier in Kent, and, of course, send my wishes to the British Olympians.

At Combe in my constituency, Thames Water pumped sewage into the River Evenlode for over 2,600 hours last year. Thames Water was allowed by Ofwat to withdraw £7 billion in dividends, yet now wants to jack up my constituents’ bills. I welcome the water Bill in the King’s Speech, but does the Prime Minister agree with my constituents and me that the system is broken, and will he now commit to scrapping Ofwat and replacing it with a tougher regulator that will finally put people and planet ahead of water company profits?

The Prime Minister replied:

I welcome the hon. Member to his place and thank him for raising this important issue in relation to water. Customers should not pay the price for mismanagement by water companies. We have already announced immediate steps to put water companies under a tougher regime. The Minister responsible for water, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice (Emma Hardy), will meet the bosses of failing companies to hold them to account for their performance. After 14 years of failure with our rivers and beaches, it falls to this Government of service to fix the mess of that failure.

Next up was Ed Davey, who now gets two questions a week. Unsurprisingly, he asked about carers and social care and was praised for his video about caring for his son John by the PM. Keir Starmer was also not above a little light teasing –

The text is below:

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Mark Valladares

28 May 2024 – today’s press releases, the Federal edition

By Mark Valladares | Tue 28th May 2024 - 10:00 pm
  • Triple Lock Plus promise is “empty” as Conservatives accused of “hypocrisy”
  • Lib Dems call for community environmental experts to sit on water company boards
  • Apprenticeships: treatment of apprentices as second-class workers will only continue under the Conservatives

Triple Lock Plus promise is “empty” as Conservatives accused of “hypocrisy”

Responding to Mel Stride’s morning round, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney MP said:

The sheer hypocrisy of the Conservatives to claim they are on the side of pensioners is laughable at best and dishonest at worst.

Our nation’s pensioners have been clobbered by stealth taxes, and failed on social care – these promises are empty.

This is a once-in-a-generation election and we’re seeing more and more pensioners back the fair deal being put forward by the Liberal Democrats, especially where it’s a two-horse race between us and the Conservatives.

Lib Dems call for community environmental experts to sit on water company boards

  • Ed Davey announces new reforms to hold the water industry to account on a visit to the Lake District
  • BBC recently uncovered millions of litres of raw sewage was illegally pumped into Lake Windermere
  • Liberal Democrats have also called for Ofwat to be replaced by a tougher regulator to end the sewage scandal

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will today announce his party’s manifesto will include a pledge to put community environmental experts on water company boards to hold water bosses to account for the sewage scandal and the urgent action we need to end it.

The party has already announced it would scrap the failing regulator Ofwat and ban water CEO bonuses, and will today outline more bold reforms of the water industry.

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Posted in News and Press releases | Also tagged , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Grant Williams

Opinion: Time for water reform

By Grant Williams | Mon 20th December 2010 - 10:26 am

Water is an industry in need of reform, the last monopoly. Uniquely, water is the one utility essential to life itself. Our water supplier depends solely upon where we happen to live.

Regional water boards became Public Limited Companies in 1989 and these were privatised the same year. There was no fundamental restructuring such as with gas and electricity. We have no National Grid for water; we can have drought in the south-east and floods in the north-west with no means of transferring excess water to those with shortage of supply. We have periodic hosepipe bans, restrictions on usage, and …

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Posted in Op-eds | 11 Comments
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