Before being elected to Parliament, I made the cast iron commitment to everyone in Exmouth & Exeter East that I would do whatever it takes to force South West Water (SWW) to improve their service and operations.
The past few weeks in Westminster have been central to making good on my promise. Having been selected to sit on the Water Bill committee, I have had the opportunity to scrutinise the proposed law and strengthen it wherever I can.
The Water (Special Measures) Bill is intended to address poor performance from water companies. The bill covers poor financial management, water pollution, and outcomes for customers. So, all the things that drive us loony about SWW! The aims of the bill are to: block bonuses for water company executives “who pollute our waterways”, bring criminal charges against “persistent law breakers”, impose automatic and “severe” fines for wrongdoing, and enabling independent monitoring of every sewer overflow outlet.
All these points are vital to bringing water companies back to heel, and most importantly, starting on the journey to improving our waterways and coastal areas. The cross-party committee worked collaboratively throughout, and I’m proud that we were able to work together to give the bill the teeth it needs to have effect. More importantly I must pay tribute to the many individuals and groups who submitted evidence to myself and the committee. All of your submissions were read, and I enjoyed representing your views in the Westminster committee rooms. In particular I’d like to personally thank the End Sewage Convoys And Pollution Exmouth (ESCAPE) team for submitting a comprehensive report on the merits and flaws of the bill. The ESCAPE team put a great deal of effort into calling out SWW’s poor performance, and I hope the team can now see that we share the same aims.
This is however just the start of my campaign, and there will be much more to do in the coming years. I still take the view that we need to attack this issue in three directions. That is ensuring that SWW properly invest in infrastructure and maintenance, analysing house building and pushing back if SWW’s planned infrastructure cannot meet demand, and updating or introducing laws to stamp out harmful behaviours.
I am committed to this cause for the long-term, and I will keep fighting until the job is done. Please do keep getting in touch about this issue, and I will keep making our voices heard until we see the results that we deserve.
