05-24-2023, 07:46 PM
The Liberal Party notes this week’s announcement by the UK privatised water companies to invest £10 billion pounds in wastewater management to reduce its effects on the environment.
Whilst this is a welcome step towards the elimination of storm overflows and sewage discharges into our rivers and coastal waters, the party does not believe this investment should be funded by increased bills for domestic customers.
Rather as private companies’, investment in environmental management should be a financial responsibility born by the companies and their shareholders as part of their statutory duty to protect our nations water resources.
Since being privatised in 1989 English water companies have paid out £65 billion to shareholders whilst allowing pollution levels to rise to deplorable levels, with 62 serious pollution incidents reported by UK water and sewage companies in 2021, the highest number since 2013.(Environment Agency, 2021).
The Liberal Party remains committed to the nationalisation of the UK water industry as we believe it has a natural monopoly and the extraction and delivery of water is a public good.
Whilst this is a welcome step towards the elimination of storm overflows and sewage discharges into our rivers and coastal waters, the party does not believe this investment should be funded by increased bills for domestic customers.
Rather as private companies’, investment in environmental management should be a financial responsibility born by the companies and their shareholders as part of their statutory duty to protect our nations water resources.
Since being privatised in 1989 English water companies have paid out £65 billion to shareholders whilst allowing pollution levels to rise to deplorable levels, with 62 serious pollution incidents reported by UK water and sewage companies in 2021, the highest number since 2013.(Environment Agency, 2021).
The Liberal Party remains committed to the nationalisation of the UK water industry as we believe it has a natural monopoly and the extraction and delivery of water is a public good.