Amanda Hack

I served on the Water (Special Measures) Bill Committee and obviously did my research on that. However, nothing changed: so we had a plan, but what we need is action, and that is the most important part of the approach we need to take. Bonuses have still been paid to executives. Since 2020 they have rewarded themselves £41 million in bonuses, benefits and incentives—the price of failure was literally rewarded. I know how important tackling the behaviour of the water companies is locally. Water issues are constant in my casework, including flooding, sewage and water management. In a meeting with Severn Trent Water in January, one of my constituents was so furious at the lack of action, after months of issues and several meetings trying to get Severn Trent to deal with them, that she brought a bag of sewage with her and dumped it on the table on front of the executives. When water companies are responding to emails or calls from residents, too often they forget how stomach-churningly detestable the issues really are, which proves how out of touch they really are. Going forward, we know that accountability is crucial, but communication with residents is equally important and they cannot be left behind. I encourage every one of my constituents who experiences problems with sewage outflows, flooding or poor standards of customer service to continue to get in touch with me. There is simply no excuse for the way in which some of my constituents have been treated, and I am certain that many other hon. Members will have constituents with similar stories. Having served on the Water (Special Measures) Bill Committee, it was clear to me that that Act is a first step in a line of measures to hold the water bosses to account. The Act will ban bonuses for polluting water bosses. News reports in the last day about the record levels of sewage discharges will mean that no boss should get any bonus this year. The Act will enable criminal charges against law breakers, meaning examples like the one I gave earlier may have resulted in a criminal charge. It will force water companies to cover the cost of the enforcement action and pay for the damage that they do to our communities. We have to go further, and we will. Sir Jon Cunliffe’s current review of the water sector is open for evidence. He has said “that the prize here is significant—cleaner waters, growth and a stable, well-funded sector”. His passion for change is clear and matches the current Government’s ambition to clean up our filthy waterways. I am sure that all hon. Members in the Chamber, especially those on the Labour Benches, are 100% committed to taking the actions necessary to fix our foundations, because that is what our constituents, our country and our environment deserve. My constituents voted for change, and I will ensure that they continue to get it.