This blog will display news and events information in chronological order, newest first, plus a list of the most recent posts. The drop down Category list below It can be filtered by category from the list, which is in alphabetical order.
People’s Commission sessions
Dear friends and river campaigners
The People’s Commission has launched and will be taking place in public and we do hope you and your members can join us at one or more of the sessions.
You can find out all the dates and book in on our website.
If you have evidence you would like to provide please do let us know.
We have had a chance to look at the government’s commission, and the public as key funders, owners, stakeholders are not central to the review, and so far the commission looks like tinkering with the current model rather than taking a more innovative approach to a sustainable future for our rivers, lakes and seas.
We will be in the Guardian today (27th Febrauary, 2025) setting out how we are filling the gaps in the government’s commission, but more importantly we start with what and who matters, the environment and the public.
We hope you can help
Becky, Ewan, Frances, Kate
The People’s Commission Contact
Contact email: peoplescommissionwater@
in addition
Dr Kate Bayliss kb6@soas.ac.uk
Prof Frances Cleaver f.cleaver@lancaster.
Prof Becky Malby profmalby@gmail.com
Prof Ewan McGaughey ewan.mcgaughey@kcl.
The People’s Commission on the Water Sector launches today
The People’s Commission on the Water Sector launches today to review the on-going water sector crisis in England and to devise solutions. Led by four academics from UK Universities the People’s Commission is truly independent and tackles the questions not covered by the Government’s Independent Commission on the Water Sector’s Regulatory System.
Kate Bayliss of SOAS says ” Our water system is not working. Our biggest utility is in financial crisis while raw sewage spilling into our rivers and seas has become the new normal. We need to fully understand what exactly is driving these failings, and why. From here we can devise pragmatic solutions, learning from experience in the UK and abroad, to build a water system in the interests of society and the environment.“
The People’s Commission will be investigating the very best solution for our water sector so that we have a robust and resilient water system fit for now and the future. The People’s Commission is working with sector experts and drawing on international experience to offer a way to secure a water system that is commensurate with a developed country, that secures our water quality, and that ensures our supply and sewage treatment is resilient in the context of our population and climate, and where water bills deliver clean water for our rivers, lakes and seas.
Unlike the Government’s Commission, the People’s Commission will not be restricted to addressing just matters of regulation, it will be looking at international examples, alternative models of ownership, innovation in water services, and securing value for the public whilst protecting our rivers, lakes and seas.
“We need to think more boldly and creatively about alternatives to the failing system of water provision in this country. We can learn so much from experiences of other countries and experiments in different modes of governance. Armed with this knowledge we can shape a more just and sustainable water supply system fit for the challenges of the 21st century.” says Prof Cleaver
The People’s Commission will work in public, with its inquiry sessions taking place in local venues across England, hosted by local people. The Public will participate in all the sessions ensuring that those who use water services and pay for the entire water sector play a full part in the future of the water sector.
“The public is being treated as a minor stakeholder by water companies, regulators and government. We recognise that the public funds our water sector, are dependent on water services, are passionate about their local environment and have been the driving force for change in the water sector over recent years. This commission is in service to the public who want a fair water system that protects their water supply, treats their sewage and looks after their environment. ” Prof Becky Malby, Member.
Feargal Sharkey says “The industry clearly cannot be trusted, neither can the regulators. None of them have the right answers. Its time to listen to the public. Here’s your opportunity.”
The four sessions of the Commission will cover:
- International Water Systems – what works
- Resilient Water Systems – securing water systems that work for people and the environment now and into the future.
- Governance – models of ownership and regulation, and public accountability.
- Securing Public Value – financial management of the water industry
Confirmed witnesses include
Dr Anne Le Strat, previously Deputy Mayor of Paris and Chair of Eau de Paris, Prof Klaas Schwartz, Netherlands (both on international best practice), Alistair Chisholm CIWEM (freshwater future), Stanley Root Auditor (on solutions to finance), Prof David Hall (on public ownership), Feargal Sharkey OBE and Prof Catherine Waddams (on regulation), Prof Alistair Boxall (on solutions to chemical pollution), Dr Liz Sharp (on public strategies), Dr Mike Keil CCW (on water poverty) alongside experts in engineering and technical solutions, public participation in sustainable water solutions, water poverty and mutuals.
Each in-person event is hosted by a local community group and all events are in public.
Notes on The People’s Commission,
- The People’s Commission will mirror the timescales of the Government Commission reporting in Q2.
- Registration for the online international in-public event is open on The People’s Commission website
- All in person events are open for any members of the public to join.
- Evidence can be submitted in writing by the 1st May 2025 to peoplescommissionwater@gmail.com
- All sessions are hosted by members of The Sewage Campaign Network
- The People’s Commission is being minimally funded by private donations with no connection to the water industry. The People’s Commission does not take funding from the government, regulators of the water companies. If you are willing to donate please contact us via the The People’s Commission website
- The Peoples Commission can also be found on Bluesky @peopleswater.bsky.social
The People’s Commission Contact
Contact email: peoplescommissionwater@gmail.com
in addition
Dr Kate Bayliss kb6@soas.ac.uk
Prof Frances Cleaver f.cleaver@lancaster.ac.uk
Prof Becky Malby profmalby@gmail.com
Prof Ewan McGaughey ewan.mcgaughey@kcl.ac.uk
New Inquiry into PR24 etc
EFRA has launched a new Inquiry into reforming the water sector
The Committee will hold the first evidence session of this inquiry in January, where it will consider the impact of Ofwat’s final determination on how much water bills will be permitted to rise over the next five years. It will then take evidence from some of the worst performing water companies to determine what has gone wrong in the sector and how the Government can make improvements.
This new inquiry will examine the Government’s work taking place in this area, including the progress of the Water (Special Measures) Bill, and the work of the Government’s Independent Commission into the water sector, which is expected to report in mid-2025.
THIS MEANS we need letters to MPs asap. If any of your members haven’t written to your MP please can you ask them too. Here is the link to the template letter
https://campaigns.
Thanks all
Prof Becky Malby
Water (Special Measures) Bill Labour not suporting our amendments
Dear friends
You have seen the amendments to the Water (Special Measures) Bill that were supported firstly by Lord Prem Sikka (Labour) and Baroness Jenny Jones (Green) in the Lords, and rejected; and now by Tim Farron and Charlie Marshall (Lib dem) in the committee stage – and are still being rejected.
This is the list of MPs on the Committee.
Of these, 4 came to our briefing at the HoP in December:
Amanda Hack (NW Leicester, Labour)
Catherine Fookes (Monmouthshire, Labour)
Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth, Labour)
Charlie Maynard (Witney, Lib Dem) – the WASP MP, and Charlie sponsored all our amendments into this committee
If your MP is on the Committee
(a) please can you let us know and
(b) please can you get in touch with them before the final committee meetings this week which are on Tuesday and Thursday, to lobby them to support our amendments.
We are asking that the Committee supports our amendments which in the current Bill format are as follows:
-
The government clarify and enforce existing legislation
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Stop untreated sewage discharges outside Exceptional Circumstances (to comply with the 1994 act)
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Put failing water companies into special administration (Amend Section 12 – 14)
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Convict Directors that fail to address prosecutable offenses (Amend section 5-7 ).
-
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That the Water (Special Measures Bill) is further amended to:
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Reform the duties of Ofwat to be for clean water, conservation and reasonable bills (Amend Section 9).
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Prohibits public bailout of the water industry (Amend Section 12 Modification by Secretary of State of water company’s appointment conditions etc to recover losses).
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Put employees and bill payers on the Boards of water companies (Addition to Section 1)
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Require volume monitoring on every outflow and public scrutiny of all water company self-monitoring of water quality (Amend section 3 141F Reporting on discharge from emergency overflows)
-
Many thanks all
Prof Becky Malby
Ilkley Clean River Group
Ofwat rises prices further than they trailed in July An average of £31 a year
Message from Professor Becky Malby of ICRG
OFWAT PRICE RISES
Ofwat rises prices further than they trailed in July. An average of £31 a year
Anglian 29%
Northumbrian 21%
Severn Trent 47%
South West 23%
Southern Water 53%
Thames 35%
United Utilities 32%
Wessex 21%
Yorkshire Water 41%
URGENT: ASK YOUR MP TO STOP WATER BILL RISES
We have a pre-populated letter for everyone to send to their MPs. All you need to do is pop in your postcode and it generates the email to send.
Please ask all your campaign followers and members to send urgently today.
TEMPLATE LETTER TEXT IN CASE OF ANY GLITCHES
Dear [insert MP name]
I am angry and alarmed at today’s huge price rises for water, and write to ask you to require this government to stop the bill rises until all criminal investigations of water companies are completed, and the government has fully investigated water company finances.
It is shocking in the midst of a cost of living crisis, to be asked to pay more whilst wealthy shareholders continue to extract money, and we continue to be cheated from the services we are paying for – the treatment of our sewage. We have no choice in who provides our water and sewerage services, we are captive customers and therefore powerless.
We know that the water industry has already received all the investment it needs to fund the infrastructure upgrades necessary to comply with the law, with £17bn spare, so why are we being asked to pay again for a service we should already have received?
The public has had enough of the illegality and mismanagement at the heart of the UK’s privatised water industry. I hope you will stand up for us in opposing these bill increases and in pushing for a fairer water system that puts people and nature, not shareholder profit, at its heart.
Thank you
Prof Becky Malby
Swimming status of Ilkley’s River Wharfe in limbo over sewage pollution
Stretch of river in West Yorkshire was first to get bathing status in 2020 but has since recorded poor water quality.
That’s the headline in today’s Guardian.
The first river to be given bathing water status in England is in limbo waiting for the Environment Agency (EA) to approve crucial nature-based solutions that are part of £43m in improvements to cut sewage pollution.
You can read the whole article by clicking here
River Wharfe Revealed to Have Concerning Pollution Levels
Recent testing conducted by Wetherby and Villages Clean River Group, in partnership with Surfers Against Sewage, Watershed, and York University has highlighted alarming pollution levels in the River Wharfe at Wetherby. Over a week of monitoring in August this year, 17 sites were analysed, with Wetherby often recording higher levels of harmful bacteria and pollutants compared to Ilkley.
Bacteria Levels Exceed Thresholds
Testing showed consistently high levels of E. Coli and coliform bacteria, indicators of faecal contamination:
- Day 1: Wetherby ranked 4th worst for E. Coli and 5th for coliform bacteria.
- Day 4: E. Coli levels were the 2nd highest, and coliforms ranked 1st, both exceeding Ilkley’s measurements.
- Day 7: Wetherby was 4th worst for E. Coli and 3rd for coliforms, remaining significantly polluted.
Chemical Pollution – Top 3 Contaminants in Wetherby
Additional testing identified 43 unique pollutants, with a worrying concentration of industrial and pharmaceutical residues. The top three pollutants were:
- Chrysene – Found in coal tar, bitumen, and asphalt, commonly used in road and roofing materials.
- Metformin – A widely prescribed medication for Type 2 diabetes, indicative of wastewater contamination.
- Fexofenadine – An antihistamine used to treat allergies, also linked to pharmaceutical discharge.
Comparison with Ilkley
Ilkley is a key comparison further up the Wharfe, their top pollutants included metformin, caffeine, and nicotine, while Wetherby’s profile includes a significant industrial contaminant, chrysene, suggesting differing pollution sources and risks.
The next steps
The results provide a positive lever in effecting change to improve the river Wharfe. Working with Yorkshire Water, The Environment agency, Local and National Government, we will be pressing for practical measures to ensure a reduction in human and pollutant waste.
Read today’s article in The Times
Mark Barrow receives Wetherby Townsperson of the Year award
“Well that was out of the blue and totally unexpected. This morning i was awarded the Wetherby towns person of the year 2025 award for my services locally and nationally to the freshwater environment over the last 35 years. For once i was just about speechless”.
#freshwaterfish
Mark Barrow on Countryfile 17th November 2024
“I have been filming with Countryfile in the Yorkshire Dales about my filming and journey over 35 years, covering grayling, barbel and the European eel.
It was a real treat to be asked and to get my underwater work shown on the programme,”
This is the link to the programme next week – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002569h
Independent Water Commission needs to move quickly to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas
Press Release issued by ICRG:
1. There is no question the whole water system needs an overhaul. Monopoly privatisation with weak regulation has let rip a pollution for profit model, which no amount of Water (Special Measures) Bill tinkering will fix. The public is already paying off eye-watering company debt and dividends is costing us here in Yorkshire 23% of our bills, with no environmental or service improvement.
2. We welcome the Commision as long as it includes scrutiny of all the models of ownership so that we go from the poorest performing water system in Europe to amongst the best. The aim must be to radically improve the water quality of our rivers, lakes and seas whilst securing best value for the bill payer.
Currently we have one of the highest customer bills in Europe but also lag behind in water quality (Prof Ewan McGaughey 2024). At the same time every water company is under criminal investigation by Ofwat and the EA for illegal activity.
3. Our rivers, lakes and seas can’t wait. The Commission will take time. Meanwhile the government is sitting on existing legislation, which if enacted will stop pollution of our waterways outside of exceptional circumstances. The government needs to rigorously enforce the law now. Without this it is subjecting our waters to years more pollution, whilst the customer continues to pay water companies debt without getting the investment our rivers, lakes and seas need. Here in Yorkshire shareholders have invested less than zero since privitisation in 1990, whilst extracting nearly £10 billion (David Hall 2024). This has to stop now.
4. Against this backdrop of failure of the current system the Water (Special Measures) Bill makes provision for public bailout of failing companies by requiring water companies to raise money for debt from customers, a complete betrayal of the duty to protect customers of monopoly companies providing something that no-one can give up – water. This means yet again the public is paying for profiteering. We have provided an amendment that ‘instructs the Secretary of State and HM Treasury to not bail-out the shareholders or creditors of any water company’.
“Campaign groups from across the country are outraged that the public and bill payers continue to pay for water company failure with no prospect of a clean up in time to save our rivers, lakes and seas from the devastating effects of sewage pollution.” Prof Becky Malby, Ilkley Clean River Group
Notes
- You can find a briefing on our broken sewage system provided to all MPs here
- Ilkley Clean River Group has been campaigning for 5 years to stop the sewage pollution of the River Wharfe
- The Sewage Campaign Network with the assistance of Prof Ewan McGaughey, Professor of Law at Kings College University, London, have provided a set of amendments to protect the public from further exploitation from the broken water industry.
- Ilkley Clean River Group is a founding member of The Sewage Campaign Network:Henley Mermaids, Ilkley Clean River Group, Save Windermere, SOS Whitstable, and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution are a network of leading grassroots campaigners steeped in our local communities, trying to save our rivers, lakes and seas from sewage pollution; and the founders of the current massive public storm. Our coalition consists of the forerunners in the campaign to stop sewage pollution, passionate community members committed to safeguarding rivers, lakes, and coastlines from pollution. We have not been captured, we don’t take money from government, regulators or the water companies; we are truly independent. We take pride in our integrity. We have found that in order to save our local waters, we have had to step up and challenge the whole water system, campaigning to get the law enforced. We are also mobilising hundreds of community campaign groups like ours, providing briefings, educational sessions, supporting the practicalities of water testing, campaigning and lobbying. Each group within the network operates independently, but we speak as one, channeling the public’s outrage at pollution for profit.
- Ilkley Clean River Group secured the first river to be awarded Bathing Status. The river is persistently rated poor water quality and the Status is up for renewal in 2025. If it remains poor the river will be ‘de-designated’ by Defra
- The campaign has secured some investment from Yorkshire Water with a new Sewer in Ilkley, and there is a plan to clean up the river currently going through the Ofwat PR24 process.
Contact
Karen Shackleton 07312112061
Prof Becky Malby 07974777309