Water regulator wined and dined by water firms

24 Jan 2024

EMBARGO: 00:01 Thursday 25th January

OfWat treated to numerous dinners from disgraced water firms amid public outrage over sewage scandals
Lunches at shows and even an umbrella gifted by firms attempting to keep the regulator on side
Government refuses to handover the number gifts received by Ministers and civil servants
Liberal Democrats slam “pointless and toothless regulator” and call for investigation into “apparent cosy relationship” within the industry

A Freedom of Information Request by the Liberal Democrats has found OfWat has received numerous hospitality gifts from the firms it regulates. The Liberal Democrats have called for OfWat to be abolished.

The Liberal Democrats also sent an FOI to the Environment Department on gifts received by Ministers and civil servants from water firms. Despite multiple attempts, the government refused to handover the information, amid claims of a “cover up”

The FOI to OfWat has revealed the regulator received dinners and hospitality from different water firms over the past year, including:

Dinner from the Chair and CEO of Anglian Water
Dinner from the Chair of SES Water
A £60 dinner from the Chair of Yorkshire Water
An umbrella from Portsmouth Water

As well as gifts from water firms, OfWat received £175 last year from a consultancy called Indepen, which works on behalf of water firms. This included a dinner with water company CEOs for OfWat employees.

An employee of OfWat attended the Royal Welsh Show last year and was treated to a £50 lunch by Jones Bros, a civil engineering firm which specialises in water contracts.

Overall, OfWat received almost £700 in hospitality last year, mostly from the firms it regulates and in the form of dinners out.

The Liberal Democrats have called for OfWat to be abolished and replaced with a new regulator. The party has also called for water firms to be reformed to “public benefit companies”, where profit is no longer put before environmental goals.

Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson Tim Farron MP said:

“This is shocking. What on earth is the regulator doing?

“I am outraged at the cover up by Ministers on how many times they have been wined and dined by these disgraced sewage pumpers. At least OfWat owned up to their gifts.

“It is a national scandal that profiteering and polluting water firms are getting away with environmental destruction.

“Nobody is begrudging a sandwich during a visit, but it's clear there is much more going on. We need an investigation into the apparent cosy relationship within the industry, including gifts received by Ministers and civil servants.

“OfWat has become a pointless and toothless regulator. It is time it was replaced.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

OfWat FOI response breakdown

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/144E64K_iDSUHtDWTL6ysodCrv1HUBar6/edit#gid=34592796