Dame Chi Onwurah

Dame Chi Onwurah

Labour — Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West

Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025

Debate

Independent Water Commission

Contribution

Yesterday I had a lovely swim in the North sea off Bamburgh castle, and I would like to thank the Safer Seas and Rivers Service for telling me which beaches to avoid due to sewage spills by Northumbrian Water. Not all my constituents swim, but they all tell me that the current situation is disgraceful. They will not be reading a 500-page report, so could the Secretary of State explain to them whether it is: a) their fault for not accepting higher bills, as Tory former Ministers and Water UK say; b) the water companies’ fault for extracting so much more value—in the shape of dividend and bonus payments and loading the companies with debt—than they put into them; or c) because water is a natural monopoly and incredibly difficult to regulate effectively in the private sector? Or is it both b) and c)?

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