Cameron Thomas has welcomed the news that Ofwat will be replaced by a
tougher water regulator, marking a victory for Gloucestershire residents and
customers of Severn Trent.
At the 2024 General Election, after which Cameron was elected to office for the first
time, he had campaigned on a manifesto pledge to replace the failing water
regulator, whose relationship with water companies was seen to be “too cozy”, with
too little action to tackle sewage spills and pollution.
At yesterday’s announcement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, the Tewkesbury MP told Secretary of State Steve Reed: “My constituent
campaigners at Save Avon and Tewkesbury Friends of the Earth will be delighted to
see that, at length, the Government have implemented a core Liberal Democrat
manifesto pledge: the abolition of Ofwat”.
The announcement follows a report from Sir John Cunliffe’s Independent Water
Commission, and a year of consistent pressure from Liberal Democrat MPs.
Cameron has further called for water companies such as Severn Trent to be reigned
in, with Executives’ bonuses curbed and shareholder dividends withheld whilst
pollution continues in the Rivers Avon and Severn.
Cameron further challenged the government, asking: “Will the Secretary of State
now go further and implement a second pledge to put (Safe Avon and Tewkesbury
Friends of the Earth) campaigners on the board of Severn Trent, so that they can
hold the water company to account… and continue to show my constituents that
Liberal Democrat pressure pays off?”
Labour and Conservative MPs have failed to back Liberal Democrat plans to protect customers from footing the bill for water company bailouts while yet more money is leaked to shareholders
Cameron Thomas, MP for the Tewkesbury Constituency, has used a debate on water quality to highlight the dangers that polluted waterways pose to Gloucestershire residents when their homes are repeatedly "swamped” by river water.
Water bills are set to rise soon - a decision branded 'a disgrace'.
