Alex Sampson, Plymouth Socialist Party
The government’s water regulator Ofwat has announced proposals to allow water companies to raise bills by up to 21% on top of inflation over the next five years, which could potentially add nearly £100 to the average household water bill by 2030. Water companies have argued that the increases are necessary to fund £88 billion worth of repairs needed to bring the water and sewerage system up to date to cope with the current and future demands on the system.
While the water companies attempt to play down these increases, by presenting them as an average increase of only £19 a year, research done by the Consumer Council of Water has shown how much of a strain this increase will put on an average household. Of the 9,500 respondents, 40% said that they would struggle to pay the increased bills, with 54% saying they would have to cut back in other areas of spending. While wages have been stagnant or pay rises, hard-fought for and won through strike action, have in many cases not kept up with the increased cost of living, this comes as another blow to already squeezed pay packets. Millions of households, who are already having to choose whether to heat or eat, will now have to ration another basic essential.
It is undeniable that the water system is quite literally broken, with millions of gallons of water lost daily through leaks in the pipes. Sewage was dumped into our seas and rivers for over 3.6 million hours in 2023 alone. But it should not be the people of this country that pay for those repairs. Since privatisation by Margaret Thatcher’s Tory party in 1989, water companies have extracted tens of billions of pounds in dividends for their shareholders, while neglecting to invest in the system to keep it safe and functional. It is not right that the water companies now pass on the burden of their neglect to us.
Privatised water is a perfect example of how the capitalist class is totally incapable of running a company for anything other than making maximum profits. They have brought more than one of these privatised companies to the brink of bankruptcy and now need help to bail them out. They must be removed from the hands of these corrupt capitalists and run by the working class, for the working class.
The Socialist Party calls for the immediate renationalisation of the water companies, under democratic workers’ control with compensation paid only on the basis of proven need. The billionaire fat cats and hedge funds have squeezed more than enough out of the public purse, and they should not be given a penny more. Join the Socialist Party and join the fight to bring the essential utilities under workers’ control for the benefit of us all, not just for the greedy profiteers.
