This is an urgent priority because five of the ten big businesses are part of multi-utility groups or have otherwise been taken over. Southern Water, for instance, is part of a group owned by Scottish Power, which also owns the regional public electricity supply company Manweb and has other businesses within the corporation. Affordable and efficient water and sewerage services should be a basic human right. They are also crucial for public health. So when those who provide this essential service are in effect monopolies, their actions should be subject to public scrutiny, with effective redress and representation mechanisms for those who pay for and use the service.
Consumers are, in our view, getting a bad deal while shareholders are receiving excessive returns.
Companies clearly prefer to use secure and rising revenues from consumers, rather than working harder to secure low-cost funding from elsewhere. The consequent increases in water bills have undoubtedly created problems for millions of low-income households. High utility prices can only make the problems worse for those who are already suffering economic hardship.