Ilkley Clean River Group: Lower water bills for next year don't go far enough
You’re looking at a saving of less than £10 per household with bills still set to increase by £94 over the next five years
In some ways, it was a good news day. Ofwat, the water regulator, revealed that water companies, including Yorkshire Water, would have to, in effect, pay back their customers a whopping £158 million next year for their collective failure to meet key targets.
A lot of money, sure, but when you break it down, you’re looking at a saving of less than £10 per household, which is, really, nothing in the grand scheme of things. The average water bill, after all, is set to rise by £94 over the next five years (as advised by Ofwat). That’s a 21% increase over that period.
The Ilkley Clean River Group isn’t impressed – by any of it – arguing that the findings in Ofwat’s latest annual Water Company Performance Report aren’t surprising and that they don’t tell us anything new.
Water companies, the group explained, continue to underperform, pay minor fines and make empty promises to do better while ultimately charging customers more for their mistakes (regardless of whatever progress they’ve made).
“The water system is broken and no amount of tinkering around the edges with fines will fix it,” said professor Becky Malby from the Ilkley Clean River Group. “Our rivers, lakes and seas cannot wait for poorly conceived plans and unmet promises while water companies continue to pollute for profit.
“All water companies are failing. The system needs a radical overhaul so that we don't continue to bail out shareholders while our waterways deteriorate and basic needs for clean water are not met.”
Ofwat has not been without its criticisms, with Tim Farron, environment spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, describing the body as not being fit for purpose earlier this year in August.
“It’s high time they were replaced,” he said at the time. “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.”
The Ilkley Clean River Group wants the Labour government to put failing water companies into special administration, stop what it describes as illegal pollution (“water companies should only dump untreated sewage in our rivers, lakes and seas in exceptional circumstances”) and prevent bills from rising until water companies achieve a certain threshold of competence, as per performance requirements.
“This year’s performance report is stark evidence that money alone will not bring the sustained improvements that customers rightly expect,” said David Black, CEO of Ofwat.
“It is clear that companies need to change and that has to start with addressing issues of culture and leadership. Too often we hear that weather, third parties or external factors are blamed for shortcomings.
“Companies must implement actions now to improve performance, be more dynamic, agile and on the front foot of issues. And not wait until the government or regulators tell them to act.”
Responding to Black’s comments, the environmental campaigner, Feargal Sharkey, said that what Ofwat’s CEO should have said was as follows:
“This year's performance report is yet another stark reminder of the sheer incompetence of Ofwat, an organisation that I run, and highlights once more that for the last 35 years, we have failed both customers and the environment.
“It is true that if the board and I had any honour we would all resign en masse, immediately, today, but since we haven't we won't.”