There is frustration over Thames Water top boss’ refusal to attend and field questions over sewage dumping in Gloucestershire at a Shire Hall meeting tomorrow (November 29).
Gloucestershire County Council agreed in June to invite Thames Water’s top boss to their environment scrutiny committee to be grilled over the issue and explain the reasons for the increase in water bills.
However, Thames Water’s CEO Chris Weston has refused to attend this Friday’s meeting but two representatives of the water firm will be present.
The CEO’s refusal has been met with frustration by councillors who say the county is “yet again” being ignored by Thames Water.
Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Bourton and Northleach), who received backing from all county councillors for his call for water bosses to be held to account at a special meeting where they will be questioned in depth on the sewage dumping scandal, said: “Yet again, Gloucestershire residents are being ignored by Thames Water.
“Every party in Gloucestershire backed the Liberal Democrats call to call the CEO of Thames water to defend their record on pollution in our rivers, rising prices and poor performance.
“Despite this Council representing hundreds of thousands of their customers, he has decided not to come.
“Furthermore, not a single member of his seven strong leadership team felt discussing these vital issues with representatives was worth their time.
“It’s clear that Thames Water Bosses do not care enough about Gloucestershire.
“Thames Water want to charge Gloucestershire residents 40 per cent more in bills by 2030.
“Residents should expect company bosses to be able to be open about why they think they deserve more money from local people at a time when sewage pollution continues to increase, and despite Thames Water paying out millions to shareholders recently.
“The Liberal Democrats will continue to hold our Water companies to account, but with Thames Water bosses able to ignore residents like this, the Government needs to deliver on its promise to clean up our rivers.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said their shareholders have not taken an external dividend for six years to prioritise investment in improving service for customers and to protect the environment.
“While all storm discharges are unacceptable, the sewage system was historically designed to work in this way, to prevent sewage backing up into people’s homes,” a spokesperson said.
“We know how much people enjoy and appreciate rivers, and we are committed to seeing waterways thrive, but we can’t do it alone.
“Farming, industry, road runoff, wildlife and increasingly extreme weather also play a role in river health.
“We have clear and deliverable plans to upgrade 250 of our sites across the region, to increase treatment capacity and reduce the number of storm discharges.
“This includes upgrades at our sites in Fairford, Cirencester and Cricklade.
“For years there has been a focus on keeping bills low ahead of investing in the network.
“As infrastructure ages and demand on it increases, more investment is needed across the entire sector.
“That’s why we’ve asked for increased investment in the next regulatory cycle between 2025-2030
“We recognise that for some customers any increase in bills is unaffordable, therefore we increased our support for customers that are struggling to pay.
“Over the next five years one in ten Thames Water households will receive an average discount of 50 per cent through our social tariff, WaterHelp, which is available right now.”