08 Mar 2018
This is a truly astonishing speech which goes to the heart of the privatisation model. Nor is there any doubt about the driver for this which is the Labour Party commitment to renationalise the water industry. The Gove speech and the follow-up from Jonson Cox at Ofwat outline a very different scenario from business as […]
29 Nov 2017
Speaking at the Water 2017 event, Ofwat’s outgoing chief executive, Cathryn Ross said the water sector and other utilities are “ripe for a revolution”. She predicts a “radical shake-up” in how customers will buy utilities and home services. Ross suggested in the coming years customers would no longer have multiple providers for services such as […]
29 Nov 2017
Reported in Water Briefing, Ofwat says that a crackdown on leakage could save enough water for five cities. The regulator has urged water companies to go “much further” to cut down on leakage and has challenged the industry to save up to 170 billion litres of water a year by targeting leaks. Addressing the issue […]
14 Nov 2017
Nationalisation of the water industry was back on the agenda at the 2017 CBI conference. Jeremy Corbyn denied the suggestion that Labour’s policy was a ‘throwback’ to the 1970s, saying “it’s not good for the image of business when water companies pay out billions in dividend and interest payments through opaque financial arrangements, while households […]
11 Aug 2016
The size of fines for water company pollution incidents has been growing steadily over the last two years following a fundamental change in the legal framework. This report on the environmental performance of the water comes close on the heels of another major company fine for Severn Trent. Environmental Performance Assessment The Environment Agency ‘is […]
30 Jun 2016
Three programmes which put community engagement into practice Yorkshire Water In water company news, Yorkshire Water is planning a ‘sustainable community hub’ near Esholt treatment works. It will attract businesses to base themselves near one of its largest wastewater treatment works in order to use the energy and resources it creates. Winners of the Water […]
25 May 2016
Guardian: ‘Water companies have been hit by a series of record fines for major sewage leaks and other pollution incidents. Yorkshire Water was fined £1.1m for illegally discharging sewage that polluted the river Ouse near York, while Thames Water was fined £1m for repeated sewage leaks into the Grand Union canal. The financial penalties have […]
18 May 2016
Water Company – What’s the target? With energy bills being one of the biggest water company overheads (50% by some estimates) the target the companies are setting for becoming self sufficient are interesting as a range of comments providing the context to recent renewables investment highlights. The growing technical expertise of water companies with AD, […]
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