Water Company Executives Receive £25m in Bonuses Amid Sewage Crisis

Labour proposes regulatory changes as household bills set to rise to fund sewage crisis solution

Water company executives in England have received over £25 million in bonuses, benefits, and incentives since the last general election in 2019, despite ongoing concerns over sewage spills.
Labour has accused the Government of turning a blind eye to issues in the water industry and has pledged to give the water regulator, Ofwat, new powers to ban company bonuses if firms are found to be illegally polluting Britain’s rivers, lakes, and seas.
Water companies plan to increase household bills by an average of about £156 per year to fund a solution to the sewage crisis, which would raise the typical English household’s annual bill from £425 to £575.
The proposed investment plan by water companies, which is under scrutiny by Ofwat, would see investment almost double from current levels to £96bn between 2025 and 2030.
The Government has defended its actions, stating that it has given Ofwat increased powers to hold water companies to account and has introduced unlimited financial penalties for polluting companies.