Latest news with #NoahLaw
ITV News
14 hours ago
- Business
- ITV News
Cornwall MP's 'final warning' to South West Water boss over sewage pollution
A Cornwall MP says he has become so frustrated with sewage pollution, he has put the Chief Executive of South West Water on what he has described as "resignation watch". Noah Law, the MP for Newquay and St Austell, has said he is issuing a 'final warning' to Susan Davy, calling for her to take immediate action to upgrade the region's sewage treatment infrastructure. South West Water has responded that it has a 15-year delivery programme to reduce its use of storm overflows across its network and redesign its infrastructure - but it also says that work of that scale takes time. Speaking to ITV News West Country in Pentewan, the MP said: "The sense of urgency just isn't there from South West Water. "Getting detail on the timeframes around this infrastructure upgrade has been like drawing blood from a stone and I want them to be extremely transparent with the public as to when they can expect to see some of that change which we've fought so hard for in Government and through the Water Special Measures Act.'' He added: "I'm pressing really hard to get that information on just when we are going to see those upgrades. A five-year timeframe isn't good enough, people want to see action now." According to South West Water's own figures, there were 134 spills from the water treatment works in Pentewan last year. Elsewhere in the region, MP for Taunton and Wellington Gideon Amos carried out water testing on the River Tone in a designated bathing water spot. The result was a reading of 'poor' quality and the MP says water companies should be making cleaner rivers a priority. The boss of Pennon Group and South West Water CEO, Susan Davy, received a total pay package of more than £800,000 in 2023-24, including almost 200,000 in long-term share awards. Meanwhile, customers' yearly bills rose by around a third from April this year. A spokesperson for Pennon said: "We run critical national infrastructure and have embarked on our largest ever investment programme across our Group - £3.2bn - which spans from Cornwall to Surrey - 11 of these major projects are in Mr Law's constituency. "We are prioritising our investment on what customers have told us are most important to them and to help us deliver on what we promised; to reduce the use of storm overflows, ensuring water resilience and supply, investing in vital infrastructure, supporting customers more than ever and taking a green first approach to our solutions as much as possible." They added: "We live and work in this region and care deeply about what we all do every single day – we are also customers of South West Water. "Our 4,000 brilliant colleagues work hard day and night to keep taps running and toilets flushing, we will not stop and we will continue to deliver on our promises."
ITV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Cornwall Labour MPs defend decision not to join growing rebellion over welfare bill
A number of Labour MPs from Cornwall have defended their decision not to join the growing public rebellion over controversial benefits changes, which are set to be voted on next week. None of the duchy's four new Labour MPs put their name to the 'reasoned amendment', which opposes the government's planned changes to benefits and now has the support of more than 120 others within their Party. But Perran Moon and Noah Law have responded to pressure from constituents, saying they aren't happy with all of the proposals and have been privately pushing for changes to be made. "I'd like to reassure constituents that the fact my name is not on an amendment does NOT mean that I support the current Welfare Bill," Perran Moon said in a post on Facebook. The Camborne and Redruth MP insisted the government "already knew" about his concerns and is "hopeful" that concessions will be made before the crunch vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Most, if not all, MPs support the principle of welfare reform and welcome the majority of the proposals on the table, like scrapping reassessments for people with the most severe work-limiting conditions and increasing the basic rate of Universal Credit for those actively seeking work. The prime minister has consistently made the case that his welfare reforms will get more people into the job market while still protecting the most vulnerable who can't work, but the growing number of Labour rebels argue that the controversial changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) would disproportionately impact some of their constituents and push more into poverty. Under the current plans, anyone trying to claim PIP would need to score at least four points in one activity - like preparing food or washing - to receive the daily living element of the benefit. St Austell and Newquay's Labour MP, Noah Law, similarly said to constituents online: "Supporting doesn't always involve signing a big public petition. Watch this space." A small number of Labour MPs in the South West have publicly expressed their opposition, including North Somerset's Sadik Al-Hassan and the Forest of Dean's Matt Bishop. Al-Hassan has a disabled son, and told ITV West Country: "I don't think I could ever vote for something that would make his life in the future worse, or other people like him, and for me that's a red line." Swindon's Will Stone is one of the MPs who didn't sign the amendment, but has written to the Minister in charge of the reforms, Liz Kendall, seeking "urgent clarity on the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP)." He said: "People deserve clear answers and real support, not uncertainty." Sir Keir Starmer is now saying the government is in "conversations" with Labour rebels about the cuts, signalling there could be changes ahead of the vote next Tuesday. It's a marked shift in tone from just 24 hours ago, when the PM was insisting that the plans as they currently stand would be put before MPs in the Commons.
