My MP Steve Reed, also the Secretary of State for the Environment, took free footie tickets from the water bosses when he first took on the environmental role and ever since then has been siding with private profiteers when it comes to water. He should be thinking about our environment and our pockets.
Working with the wonderful campaign group, We Own It, I invited Steve Reed to join me to see his team Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park to talk about the water crisis.
Needless to say he said he wasn’t available so I sent my messages to him via a series of 1 minute videos.
After the match I wrote him the following letter:
Dear Steve Reed,
I am disappointed that you accepted tickets to a football match from the owners of a privatised water company but wouldn’t accept a similar offer from me, your constituent, to talk about the crisis in the water sector. I write to you now in your capacity of Secretary of State for the Environment and hope you will reply to me personally on this occasion rather than delegating the matter to Emma Hardy.
Why do you believe that the so called ‘Independent Water Commission’ could restore public trust in the water sector when it excludes considerations of public ownership? Do you think it is acceptable that water companies have:
- squandered OUR precious resources such as the 25 reservoirs sold with necessary replacements now being built at exorbitant costs?
- canceled 112 promised environmental projects that we the customers have already paid for in the last billing period?
- spent our money on dividend pay outs and outrageous 7 figure salaries for negligent water bosses, more than 50 of whom are facing criminal investigations!?
What is there in the Water (Special Measures ) Act that can make regulation work now when regulation has failed to deter private water companies dodging their responsibilities with impunity for the last 36 years?
Do you think it is acceptable to have a revolving door between regulation chiefs and water chiefs?
Do you think it is reasonable for our provider, Thames Water, to spend £15 million a month on lawyers and advisors while neglecting maintenance and making redundancies amongst valuable operational staff (300 in 2019, another 300 in 2023 and CEO Chris Western unable to inform your recent Environmental Select Committee hearing on whether there will be more in the near future)?
You have it within your power to solve the water crisis by taking water back into public ownership and saving us £billions by ending the need for shareholder payouts and borrowing at reasonable rates. Have you any intention of listening to the 82% of the British public who want this to happen?
Steve may not be your MP but you can write to him in his capacity of Secretary of State for the Environment at this address and tell him why private water isn’t working for you.