The Wildlife Trusts have welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Labour conference comments on regaining control of the water industry, including proposed new powers for mayors to hold companies to account, tougher consequences for repeat failure and a further crackdown on excessive bonuses.
Joan Edwards, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, said it was not only the public that had suffered under the current model: rivers, lakes, wetlands and seas were in a dire condition, and the water sector was one of the key culprits.
Edwards: 'Companies which act more fully in the public interest'
Edwards said the package, as part of a strengthened Water Bill, should pave the way for companies that act more fully in the public interest, however they are owned.
"Together, these changes - as part of a strengthened Water Bill - pave the way for companies which act more fully in the public interest, however they are owned. Any system will also need to ensure powerful and well-resourced regulators, and an approach that considers the plethora of pressures that our waters also face - from farm pollution and urban runoff to past and present management practices, to climate change."
Mayoral powers and Rivers 2040
She said mayoral involvement was a vital route to greater local control, and that powers needed to be extensive so communities could shape both customer services and investment in a healthy natural environment.
"Fixing water will help revive nature, make us more resilient to climate change as a country, and allow individuals to enjoy clean waterways and all the benefits those bring. The Wildlife Trusts look forward to playing an active role in this new clean water future."
The Wildlife Trusts will publish their Rivers 2040 vision for a bold new approach to river systems on 14 October.
