Protecting our environment
For decades, water companies have been allowed to pile up debt while paying excessive dividends to their owners. As a result, raw sewage discharge into our rivers and seas is breaking all records. Outright renationalisation is too expensive, given all the other demands on the public purse. But, by converting water companies into Public Benefit Companies, we’ll ensure they operate in the national interest. At the same time, we’ll replace Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumping.