Council leader Cllr Mike Ross is set to write to the Secretary of State for Environment demanding action on rising bills and sewage discharges
Councillors in Hull have backed a motion calling for water companies to be nationalised (stock image)(Image: Getty Images)
Hull City Council is calling on the Government to re-nationalise the region’s water provider after a YouGov poll showed eight in ten Brits want water utilities back in public hands.
The authority supported a motion proposed on Thursday by Southcoates Councillor Hester Bridges, which calls for Yorkshire Water to be re-nationalised. In line with the motion, Council leader Cllr Mike Ross will now write to the Secretary of State for Environment, calling for the change. At Thursday’s meeting, Cllr Bridges said water is a basic public necessity and should be run in the interests of the public and the environment “rather than generating huge profits for shareholders”.
Following the motion, Hull City Council is now set to call on the Government to bring water companies in England back into public ownership and ask Yorkshire Water to publish clearer local information on sewage discharges, debt costs, dividends, leakage and planned infrastructure investment.
The company has reportedly paid billions of pounds in dividends since privatisation, while carrying billions of pounds of debt. Customers across the country are facing rising bills, while concerns have been raised about sewage discharges and investment.
Earlier this year, Yorkshire Water said, between 2025 and 2030, it would be investing the equivalent of around £3,600 for every household in the region to improve infrastructure and customer service. A spokesperson said it was the company’s “largest ever investment package”, adding: “The money we collect from customer bills, alongside shareholder investment and borrowing, will be spent on a wide variety of improvements across the region – from improvements to storm overflows to mains replacements and bringing in new water resources – alongside delivering a better service for our customers.”
The utility company told Hull Live that it posts event duration monitoring information on its website, including an interactive map which shows storm overflow data.
Cllr Bridges said: “Working people are getting a raw deal. They are being asked to pay higher bills year on year while private water companies such as Yorkshire Water pay out billions in dividends and build up huge debts. Water is not a luxury. It is essential to life, public health and the environment. Here in Hull, we know how important water infrastructure is having suffered the worst floods in living memory in 2007.
“My view is simple: water should be run in the public interest, not for private profit. Any surplus should be reinvested into fixing leaks, ending sewage discharges, protecting rivers and seas, and keeping bills fair. Labour has taken some welcome steps on stronger regulation, but regulation alone will not fix a broken ownership model. The public should not be expected to keep paying more to repair a system that has failed them.”
The motion says the Council resolves to call on the Government to bring the water industry in England back into public ownership and to ensure that customers are not forced to pay for the cost of privatisation.
Leader of Hull City Council, Cllr Mike Ross, will write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ofwat, the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water setting out the Council’s support for water renationalisation and urgent action to protect billpayers, rivers, seas and local communities.
Cllr Ross said: “Here in Hull, residents are appalled by what’s happening to the Humber and the East Yorkshire coastline, all whilst facing sky-high water bills. The Government should act now to make water companies public benefit companies and get a new regulator in place to protect British rivers and seas from being pumped with disgusting sewage.
“Whatever you think about nationalisation and privatisation, the current model of water companies isn’t working. That’s why I will continue to call for changes to a water industry which is profiting from pollution.”
Hull City Council is not the only authority trying to re-introduce nationalised water providers. Newly-elected MP for Makerfield and potential next Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, recently called for the nationalisation of Thames Water. That company is facing a debt crisis which may see it face temporary nationalisation. A recent YouGov poll shows that 82% of Britons would support nationalising water companies.
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