Water bills rise: Tom Gordon calls for Ofwat to be scrapped as bills set to increase by 41% in Harrogate and Knaresborough

19 Dec 2024
Tom Gordon stood by the River Nidd

Responding to the news that water bills are set to rise by £177 in Yorkshire, Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has branded the situation a “national scandal”.

 

Tom Gordon and the Liberal Democrats are calling for Ofwat, the water regulator, to be scrapped and replaced “with a new, effective regulator to hold water companies accountable”.

 

They also want to see a single social tariff introduced to help eliminate water poverty.

 

Bills for Yorkshire Water customers are set to rise by £177 by 2029-30, an increase of 41%.

 

The news comes after it emerged last week that Yorkshire Water spends around a third of customer bills on servicing debt and paying dividends to shareholders. 

 

Last Sunday, Yorkshire Water’s CEO, Nicola Shaw, also defended a £371,000 bonus she received despite the company continuing to dump sewage, in a gesture Tom Gordon called “tone deaf”. 

 

Over the past 6 months, Yorkshire Water has been fined by Ofwat for sewage dumping, come under fire for failing to deal with customer complaints, and have continued to dump sewage, alongside the large bonus and requesting the new increase in consumer bills. 

 

Commenting, Tom said: 

 

“This is insulting and a kick in the teeth for customers in Harrogate and Knaresborough and across Yorkshire who are already enduring a cost-of-living crisis. 

 

“It’s outrageous that Yorkshire Water’s customers, including my constituents, are being told they must pay more when they aren’t even receiving the service they are paying for. Yorkshire Water are meant to be treating sewage, not dumping it in our rivers like the Nidd. Price increases when customers aren’t even getting what they pay for are outrageous and unfair.

 

“Customers are being told they must pay the price for Yorkshire Water’s failure. That can’t stand. The Liberal Democrats want to see Ofwat scrapped and replaced with a tough new regulator who will put a stop to this.”

 

ENDS

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