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

EMBARGO: Immediate release

• 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. 

Liberal Democrats would reform water companies into “Public Benefit Companies”, and ensure local environment experts within the community sit on the boards as non-executive directors to improve public accountability and transparency. Their role would include ensuring sewage spills are taken seriously, that the concerns of the community are raised at board level and that the environment and public health are always put ahead of profits. 

These environmental experts would also hold town hall meetings to listen and report back to communities on action taken on local people’s concerns from ending sewage discharges to improving water quality.

Ed Davey will be in the Lake District, where the local water company, United Utilities, has pumped sewage into UNESCO protected lakes. Local groups and environmental campaigners have held regular protests outside the office of United Utilities. 

Liberal Democrat analysis of Companies House records found United Utilities have made a staggering £2.3 billion in operating profits since 2019 and paid their top executives over £2 million in bonuses, all whilst pumping raw sewage into lakes where people swim.  

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Water companies are getting away with this national sewage scandal whilst Conservative MPs and Ministers have just sat on their hands. 

“These disgraced firms are destroying our treasured lakes and rivers with their filthy sewage dumping - hitting human health, harming our precious environment and damaging the local tourism economy all at the same time. 

“Enough is enough. It’s time to get tough on the water industry and a key part of that change must be new ways to hold these firms to account, putting power in the hands of the local communities suffering from this scandal. 

“Local environmental experts on company boards could hold water bosses’ feet to the fire and local people would finally have a say in how their water company is run. 

“Liberal Democrats will have the boldest manifesto plans to end the sewage scandal - from a tough new regulator to a ban on greedy exec bonuses to holding water bosses properly to account. 

“This election will be about saving our country’s precious environment for the next generation, not least in special places like the Lake District.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS
 

Untreated sewage illegally pumped into Windermere - BBC News