The privatisation of #water firms has had a clear result:
1. to fund profits to #shareholders, investment was constrained;
2. low investment has led to the #watercrisis, #pollution & water losses through leaks;
3, (Finally) under-funding is to be rectified & funded via loans;
4. the ongoing costs of loans will be repaid by customers through higher bills.
The only thing the #investors have done is stolen our money, offering no actual benefits;
the #Tories' #kleptocapitalism in a nutshell!
All of this was obvious at the time, and many of us said so.
Until there is a fundamental change in the law governing commercial businesses, they will continue to prioritise profit (as they are in fact required to do).
I guess one really simple fix would be to require #water firms to be reconstituted as B-Corps - where water quality was a key fiduciary aim along with a return on investment... wouldn't require nationalisation, but would give OfWat (if it wanted) further power(s) over the firms?
Emeritus Prof Christopher May
SarahEmm