The Labour party’s goal is to publicly shame the government by pressuring Conservative Members of Parliament to vote on whether or not Ofwat should be able to prohibit bonuses for water company executives until they improve the condition of waterways in England and Wales.
Water providers have faced repeated condemnation for compensating executives with significant amounts of money, despite their leadership resulting in faulty infrastructure and the release of sewage. Out of the 11 companies responsible for managing sewage, five senior executives received bonuses this year, while the remaining six chose not to following public backlash.
The Labour party announced at their conference their intention to prevent the bonuses of executives at companies that release high amounts of sewage, should they win the upcoming election.
On Tuesday it will use an opposition day debate to table a motion that would extend Ofwat powers to punish offending companies.
After a BBC probe revealed that United Utilities may have been downplaying the severity of its pollution incidents in order to avoid being included in Ofwat’s data, the company, which operates in the north-west region of England, has denied these allegations.
Steve Reed, the shadow secretary for the environment, stated that the current Conservative government has deliberately ignored the neglect within the water industry.
Labour plans to increase regulation in order to monitor every water outlet and accurately assess the severity of the sewage crisis.
Water executives who persist in managing illegal activities on the level that is currently being revealed will be held accountable for criminal offenses. We will also grant the water regulatory authority the ability to withhold bonuses until these executives have remedied their wrongdoing.
The decision is a component of Labour’s broader strategy to place the water sector under special oversight, which involves compulsory surveillance of all sewage discharge points.
The party’s proposal includes implementing strict and automatic penalties for unlawful emissions and holding water executives responsible for neglect.
Source: theguardian.com
