London community groups called this week for the government to bring Thames Water under public control, claiming the current system is failing the public.
Community representatives from London Citizens gathered on Wednesday outside the offices of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to call on the Secretary of State Emma Reynolds MP to take Thames Water into public ownership.
The call for action from London Citizens, an alliance of 200 education, faith, charity, union and university organisations, came after a community listening exercise this summer revealed high levels of public frustration at rising water bills and Thames Water’s management.
Lena Swedlow, Deputy Director at Compass, one of the participating groups, said: “The scale of Thames Water’s environmental and financial failures demands urgent action.
“Thames Water has seen a staggering increase in raw sewage, yet the company is trying to wriggle out of regulation, whilst loading up with even more debt and raising bills for the people it serves.
“We can’t go on like this.”
The community groups posed with a giant cheque for £24.04 billion, a figure they say represents the money paid by taxpayers into a system that has rewarded shareholders instead of repairing water infrastructure.
Rob Abrams, Campaigns Manager at Surfers Against Sewage another of the groups that gathered in Westminster, said: “Thames Water is £20 billion in debt, spewing sewage, and rated the worst water company in England for its environmental performance.
“You couldn’t write a better case for Government intervention.”
The community groups outside DEFRA called for the Secretary of State to meet with Londoners to to hear directly about the impact of rising bills, polluted rivers, and ageing infrastructure across the city.
London Citizens also called for the government to place Thames Water into Special Administration Regime (SAR) — the legal mechanism that would bring the company under public control while also protecting essential services.
In response, DEFRA claimed that a White Paper, due to be published this autumn, would form the basis of a new water bill to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment.
A government spokesperson told The Londoners: “The Government is taking decisive action to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and seas and we will always act in the national interest on these issues.”
The spokesperson was unable to confirm if they would meet with London Citizens to discuss the issues raised by their community leaders.
Thames Water responded to the demands from community groups by saying that investing in services and providing support to customers with their bills was their focus, and that any extra funding they receive would be used to address customers’ priorities.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We would encourage any customer that is concerned about their ability to pay to reach out to us so we can assess the right package of support for their circumstances.”
Featured Image by Jonny Singh
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