Today, Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, wrote to water company regulator Ofwat to link dividends to how well these companies perform for customers and the environment.
This is the most recent step from the Cumbrian environmental campaigner to get water companies to clean up their act and tackle storm overflows that discharge an unacceptable amount of sewage into our rivers and lakes. Companies involved in unacceptable sewage discharges still enjoy buoyant shareholder pay-outs, something the Cumbrian MP thinks is immoral and has backed Ofwat to stop.
Dr Hudson has long campaigned to improve water quality with stricter penalties for uncompliant water companies, more powers for Ofwat and the Environment Agency to crack down on the blight of sewage discharges and the channelling of fine revenues into community environment initiatives.
A consistent voice for improvement, Dr Hudson has repeatedly stood up in Parliament; probed water bosses, regulators and ministers in his EFRA Committee role; and spoken to DEFRA and Government officials about the unacceptable sewage discharge rates. The MP welcomed the Conservative Government’s largest ever crackdown on water companies, backed by a £56 billion capital investment programme over the next 25 years and tougher legislation, but believes we can go further.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border said:
“With the beautiful rivers and lakes of Cumbria right on our doorstep, I know just how important protecting the environment is. Therefore, I have written to Ofwat to support their proposals to link dividend payments to performance so that we can better hold water companies to account and improve outcomes for residents.
“Residents of Penrith and The Border have been clear that they expect better from water companies, and although the tide is turning on sewage, we need to press forward with all available avenues to make sure we leave our precious landscapes in a better state than we found them.”
