logo
Campaigners and industry respond to ‘once-in-a-generation' water reform report

Campaigners and industry respond to ‘once-in-a-generation' water reform report

Rhyl Journal5 days ago
Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said public trust in water companies had been 'drained' by poor environmental performance and wider service failures.
The much-anticipated final report from the Independent Water Commission, led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe, outlined 88 recommendations to the UK and Welsh governments to turn around the ailing industry.
Mr Keil said: 'The commission has set out significant changes to the regulatory system.
'But water companies have always had the freedom to do what's right by their customers – and many have made bad choices.'
Mr Keil said affordability must be a key focus of reform, with households already struggling following this year's sharp rise in water bills.
'More people are turning to CCW to complain about not being able to afford their bill,' he said.
'Over two in five households have told us they've cut spending on essentials like food to make ends meet.
'The case for a single social tariff for water has never been more urgent.'
He welcomed recommendations to make the existing voluntary ombudsman scheme mandatory, saying: 'We're delighted the commission has recommended building on our work at a time when we're seeing more people turn to us for help.'
But River Action chief executive James Wallace accused the commission of falling short, saying it had 'blinked' when faced with a chance to break with the past.
'This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset a broken and corrupted system,' he said.
'Instead, we've been handed vague policy nudges that leave the current failed privatised water company model intact.'
Mr Wallace said nothing less than 'a credible plan to rescue Britain's rivers, lakes and seas' was needed, including a clear path to bring 'failing companies like Thames Water into public control'.
He called on the Government to put Thames Water into special administration as a 'powerful statement of intent', warning: 'Our water is our life-blood and not for sale.'
Water UK, the trade body for the water companies, welcomed the commission's findings, calling reform 'long overdue'.
A spokesperson said: 'Everyone agrees the system has not been working.
'These recommendations should establish the foundations to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.'
Richard Benwell, a member of the Independent Water Commission's expert advisory group and chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said a 'culture of rule-breaking and non-compliance' was harming rivers and wetlands, and called for a more powerful and independent environmental regulator.
He welcomed the proposal for new regional water authorities but warned reforms would fall short without proper funding and a clear steer from Government.
'Reforming regulators without fixing resourcing and remit would be painting over cracks,' he said.
Ali Morse, water policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said the report offered 'strong recommendations' for more integrated, regionally driven planning, but warned time was running out to act.
'The commission has set the framework – now the Government must act with purpose,' she said.
Gary Carter, national officer at the GMB union, said the report confirmed what the union had argued for years – that water privatisation had been a 'disastrous failure'.
He accused company bosses of profiting while the water infrastructure 'crumbles through lack of investment' and sewage pollutes rivers.
'It's a disgrace – and one Ofwat has overseen,' he said.
'Now is the time to fundamentally reform the water sector and renationalise this vital resource.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wrexham: The Drunk Monk celebrates its fourth birthday
Wrexham: The Drunk Monk celebrates its fourth birthday

Leader Live

time2 hours ago

  • Leader Live

Wrexham: The Drunk Monk celebrates its fourth birthday

The Drunk Monk is tucked away in Overton Arcade on Wrexham High Street. Run by Kieran Irwin, his fiancée Dannii Rathbone and Kieran's brother Sean, the idea of starting the business was first discussed during the Covid-19 pandemic. By now, it has grown to the point where it regularly offers over 100 beers, showcasing the best from across Wales and England and also the rest of the world. The Drunk Monk just recently scooped the 'Best Pub' prize at the Best of North Wales Business Awards. And, this weekend (July 26/27), the business is celebrating its fourth year of existence. The Leader paid them a visit earlier this week to speak to Kieran about its growth, the impact of Wrexham AFC's takeover and what's in store for the future. Kieran, who moved to Wrexham from Handsworth in the West Midlands a decade ago, told us: "It all started out as a lockdown hobby idea for me and my brother (Sean). He initially came up with the idea of opening our own microbrewery. "But, after we looked into it more, we said 'why don't we open a bar?' and that conversation led to us finding a premises. "To begin with, it was only the small room with the bar in but, after a year of being open, we knocked through into the old salon next door. We now have a pool table upstairs and a darts board up there and it's a room we use for parties." (Image: Wrexham) From the start Kieran - who also works at Wrexham University as the venue manager for the Students Union Bar - has set out with the goal of promoting the best of local Welsh beers. He said: "People talk about Belgium, Germany and places like that having the best beers, but they also don't realise how many breweries we have in Wales and the UK, where there are some quality beers on offer. "We do get our beers from across the world, including German beers in for OktoberFest. But, we also promote Tiny Rebel who are based down South, as well as the likes of Magic Dragon who are based here in Wrexham. "We try to always get the North Wales beers in and then we continuously have four different beers every week on draught. We have our set house beers of Snowdon (Colwyn Bay), Wrexham Lager and Clwb Tropica (Newport) and then four new beers which we change around and they could be from anywhere including Scotland and Plymouth. "We typically have anywhere between 80 to over 100 different beers at any one time, we just try to keep it constantly changing." Asked about which beers prove most popular, Kieran added: "Without a shadow of a doubt, it's Clwb Tropica at the moment. Then it's a toss up for second place between Snowdon and Wrexham Lager. Snowdon is very popular, it flies out." Kieran says that when he initially suggested the idea to people, they advised against it. But, he and partner Dannii - who are getting married in November - pushed on with the project. He said: "People said to us; 'don't do it, Wrexham is not a craft beer town, it's a lager town', but we wanted to prove people wrong. And it turns out it was worth it. "We have now taken on the bar at Ty Pawb market, and we have a Beer Festival coming up in November, with local breweries in Wales and the UK coming in for that. "Dannii is my co-owner in all of this, she is the real 'hands on' one." The upstairs function room at The Drunk Monk which features a pool table and a darts board. (Image: Newsquest) It's no secret that the takeover of Wrexham AFC by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney back in 2021 has had boosted the city's economy greatly. That takeover took place at around the same time The Drunk Monk was established. Talking about that, Kieran said: "It's been massive, it's brilliant on matchdays, we are packed before the match and after the game, especially if Wrexham win. "Even now, during the summer, we get Americans, Canadians, Germans and Dutch people coming in. The football has massively impacted not just us, but bars all across the town. "Especially with the promotions, it's like Christmas in May, so hopefully they can do it again." As mentioned, The Drunk Monk was recently awarded a 'Best Pub' in North Wales prize. And the night of the ceremony is one Kieran will not forget anytime soon - as he sadly wasn't there. He said: "A few customers nominated us for the prize, but we didn't think we had a chance, because we're still one of the smallest pubs around. READ MORE "So, we went on holiday and we missed the actual event, but watched the ceremony online. We were shocked to win, it was frustrating not being there, but awesome at same time." The Drunk Monk team now has its own OktoberFest event, as well as the 'A Brewed Awakening' beer festival on November 28 to look forward to later this year. Speaking about his longer term plans, Kieran said: "Long term, I want to open another bar, maybe not in Wrexham but within an hour radius. Then, in a year or two, we want to go back to the microbrewery, where the conversations started. We're not experts still but that would be our dream."

Farmers Union of Wales reacts to Sustainable Farming Scheme
Farmers Union of Wales reacts to Sustainable Farming Scheme

Leader Live

time3 hours ago

  • Leader Live

Farmers Union of Wales reacts to Sustainable Farming Scheme

Last week, the Welsh Government published the final version of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). This Scheme will be the primary mechanism through which farm businesses in Wales will be able to apply for farm support from 2026 onwards as the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is phased out over the coming years. Since the initial Brexit and Our Land consultation in 2018, the FUW, its officials and staff have invested a remarkable amount of resources into lobbying, negotiating and challenging the Welsh Government in order to try and secure a workable Scheme for the future of our thriving, sustainable family farms and food production across Wales. We can assure FUW members and the wider agricultural community that we left no stone unturned over the past seven years in our ambition to secure a viable post-Brexit farm support framework. We therefore welcome key successes, including securing a total budget for the Universal Baseline Payment and BPS taper combined of £238 million, providing workable payment rates and much needed stability for the sector. This includes the provision of universal payments for common land rights holders. Our lobbying efforts have also retained and strengthened the application of capped and redistributive payments, a longstanding policy position for the FUW and one that maximises the amount of money going to typical Welsh family farms and rural communities. However, we accept that the Scheme is not perfect. The 10% habitat Scheme Rule will be a concern for many as will the Scheme-level ambition to plant 17,000 hectares of trees by 2030. The shorter BPS transition will also be a bitter pill, with the BPS payment now falling to 60% in 2026 and reducing by 20% per year thereafter. We have been consistent in our calls for the BPS transition to follow five equal reductions starting at 80% in 2026 as was initially proposed by the Welsh Government. This Scheme will be different to what we have historically considered as direct farm support or subsidies. I therefore urge all Welsh farmers to consider the Scheme requirements and payment rates in the context of your own businesses. Whether farmers decide to enter the SFS at any point in the future, or continue with the tapering BPS and operate without farm support thereafter, the FUW is here to support you and your businesses throughout the transition period and beyond.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store