Sheffield MP Olivia Blake slams Yorkshire Water and calls meeting on 'how to fix broken water system'
“Significant investments are being made in the region's water network and we are into the second year of an £8.3bn investment”
A Sheffield MP has called a public meeting to discuss the future of water services in Sheffield.
Olivia Blake, MP for Sheffield Hallam, sent a letter to constituents stating there were serious questions about whether privatisation was fit for purpose.
The meeting on October 22 at Banner Cross Methodist Church has limited capacity and attendance is by reservation only, the letter states.
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It accuses Yorkshire Water of ‘failing to adequately invest' in maintenance and improvement works.
And it claims in a single year the company lost 96bn litres through leaks, and discharged sewage 65,000 times.
The MP is also concerned that Yorkshire Water’s chief executive Nicola Shaw has received substantial undisclosed bonus payments that appear to have circumvented a government ban on bonuses for six water firms.
The meeting is an opportunity for residents to share their experiences and views on “how we can fix our broken water system”, the letter adds.
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “Significant investments are being made in the region's water network and we are into the second year of an £8.3bn investment. We agree that water companies should be accountable to the regions they serve, and we welcome the growing focus on strengthening local oversight and decision-making.
“In our submission to the Cunliffe Review we called for increased local decision making and closer links with stakeholders to make better long-term decisions for water and the environment in Yorkshire.
“We will continue to engage with our local mayors and Government on any plans for the future of the water sector to ensure they deliver for our customers and the environment.”
The Prime Minster has unveiled plans for new laws to pave the way for public ownership of failing water firms, and vowed a 10-year path to a "very different water system" in the UK.
In his speech at the Labour Party conference, Andy Burnham said environment secretary Dame Angela Eagle would present a "strengthened Water Bill to Parliament".
The centrepiece of it would be a repeal of Margaret Thatcher's “ideological ban on public ownership of water companies," he said.
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