New water ombudsman to give public stronger protections, government pledges

Consumers volition get stronger protections with a caller h2o watchdog - arsenic spot successful h2o companies takes a grounds dive.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed volition denote connected Monday that the authorities volition acceptable up the caller h2o ombudsman with ineligible powers to resoluteness disputes, alternatively than the existent voluntary system.

The watchdog volition mean an enlargement of the Consumer Council for Water's (CCW) relation and volition bring the h2o assemblage into enactment with different utilities that person legally binding user watchdogs.

Consumers volition past person a azygous constituent of interaction for complaints.

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The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the caller watchdog would assistance "re-establish partnership" betwixt h2o companies and consumers.

A survey by the CCW successful May recovered spot successful h2o companies had reached a caller low, with less than two-thirds of radical saying they provided worth for money.

Just 35% said they thought charges from h2o companies were just - adjacent earlier the interaction could beryllium felt from a 26% summation successful bills successful April.

Mr Reed is readying a "root and subdivision reform" of the h2o manufacture - which helium branded "absolutely broken" - that helium volition uncover alongside a large reappraisal of the assemblage connected Monday.

The reappraisal is expected to urge the scrapping of h2o regulator Ofwat and the instauration of a caller one, to incorporated the enactment of the CCW.

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Campaigners and MPs person accused Ofwat of failing to clasp h2o operators to account, portion the companies kick a absorption connected keeping bills down has prevented due infrastructure investment.

On Sunday, Mr Reed avoided answering whether helium would get escaped of Ofwat oregon not erstwhile asked connected Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.

He pledged to halve sewage contamination by h2o companies by 2030 and said Labour would destruct unauthorised sewage spillages successful a decade.

Mr Reed announced £104 cardinal of backstage concern to assistance the authorities bash that.

Victoria Atkins MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "While stronger user protections are invited successful principle, they are lone 1 portion of the superior semipermanent reforms the h2o assemblage needs.

"We each privation the h2o strategy to improve, and honesty astir the standard of the situation is essential. Steve Reed indispensable explicate that measure payers are paying for the £104 cardinal concern plan. Ministers indispensable besides explicate however replacing 1 quango with different is going to cleanable up our rivers and lakes.

"Public assurance successful the h2o strategy volition lone beryllium rebuilt done transparency, resilience, and delivery."