South West Water customers given £450m in subsidies while firm dished out £1.5bn in dividends November 25, 2024 South West Water customers were given nearly half a billion pounds in government subsidies to keep their bills down, despite the water firm shelling out three times that amount in dividends to shareholders over the same period. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has been giving people in South West Water’s catchment [...]
Ofwat blocks nine water firms from using customer cash for hefty bonuses November 21, 2024 Ofwat said it would use new powers to prevent customers paying for £6.8m in payouts across the industry, 73 per cent of the total.
Thames Water launches £3bn emergency fundraising drive October 25, 2024 Thames Water has launched a £3bn fundraising drive to help pay off some of the struggling utility’s large debt pile. The water company has just £500m in cash, and hopes the new money will extend its ability to function for at least another year. Thames Water said today that the money will allow the firm [...]
Column: Water, water everywhere… October 23, 2024 Or why the latest twist in the sewage tale suggests a rebalancing of Labour’s priorities England’s water system made a splash again this week, hitting the headlines as the government announced their latest move to – as they put it – clean up the industry. An independent review, led by none other than the former [...]
Scrapping Ofwat could be considered by new water sector commission October 22, 2024 Scrapping watchdog Ofwat could be considered by a new independent commission on the water sector as ministers aim to attract investment into the industry. Ministers have launched the largest review of the sector since it was privatised, with the commission set to be chaired by former deputy Bank of England Governor Sir Jon Cunliffe. It [...]
What’s really going wrong with water? October 16, 2024 Water has become a political weapon, but yet more regulation is not the answer to attracting the investment we need, says Lord Dominic Johnson Water Water Everywhere! It was very clear from the last election that water has been weaponised. Everyone seems to be deeply unhappy – the consumers, the politicians, the regulators, the investors, [...]
Thames Water creditors in talks with Ofwat for debt rescue plan October 9, 2024 A creditor group has held a meeting with water watchdog Ofwat this week, to pitch plans to keep the troubled Thames Water out of state ownership
Ofwat orders water firms to pay £157.6m for missing performance targets October 8, 2024 Water companies will have to pay a £157.6m penalty after missing key targets on reducing pollution, leaks and supply interruptions while customer satisfaction continues to fall, Ofwat has said. Not one company achieved the regulator’s top category of “leading” while Anglian Water, Welsh Water and Southern Water fell into the lowest category of “lagging” while [...]
Singapore’s wealth fund snubs regulated UK utilities amid Thames Water crisis September 22, 2024 Singapore's sovereign wealth fund has reportedly told the government that it will not invest in regulated UK water, electricity and gas utilities due to unpredictable rules on infrastructure, in a blow for Labour's economic strategy.
Thames Water creditors plan emergency funding for troubled utility September 22, 2024 Thames Water's lenders are reportedly preparing to plough more than £1bn of emergency funding into the embattled utility before the end of 2024 in an effort that could keep it out of government hands.