Sarah Gibson MP calls for outright ban on water boss bonuses after Ofwat announcement

Sarah Gibson, Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham Constituency is calling on the Government to urgently enshrine an outright ban on bonuses for water company bosses in law.

It comes as Ofwat announced bans on three water companies using customer money to fund bonuses - a move that the Liberal Democrats do not believe goes far enough. The regulator’s Chief Executive has also admitted that water bills are likely to go up more than expected next month. 

Shockingly, Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston, who joined the company in January received an eye watering bonus of £195,000 for his first three months, taking his total pay for the period to £437,000.

In total, water firms paid a total of £9.3 million in bonuses over the last financial year, Ofwat admitted. The Liberal Democrats are pushing for changes to the Government’s Water (Special Measures) Bill, which would see a ban on water company bonuses until sewage spills end and leaks are fixed. 

Yesterday evening, [20th November], Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords secured assurances from the government Ofwat will ban bonuses when water companies have committed pollution incidents, including sewage spills.

Sarah Gibson MP, Liberal Democrat MP for Calne, Chippenham, Corsham, and Royal Wootton Bassett said:

“Whether it is raw sewage coming into people’s homes when the Marden flooded in Calne, pollutants in the water causing fish to die in Jubilee Lake in Royal Wootton Bassett, or sewage overflows into the Avon at Lacock water firms have been putting profit before people for far too long. 

“The previous Conservative Government gave water companies a free pass to dump filth into our precious waterways while taking home eyewatering bonuses on top of already inflated salaries.

“The Government now needs to listen to the Liberal Democrats and finally put a stop to it, by prioritising the Water Bill in parliament and enshrining a ban on bonuses as quickly as possible.

“Those who actively wreck local environments in Wiltshire and across the country should not be rewarded for doing so. Enough is enough.”