Thames Water: Oxford City Council calls for end to water privatisation

Thames Water said it welcomed discussion with the council

A council has called for an end to the private ownership of a water company.

On Monday, Oxford City Council voted unanimously to call for Thames Water to be taken into public ownership.

Councillor Chris Jarvis said "privatisation is a failed experiment" and a "legalised scam".

A spokesperson for Thames Water welcomed discussion with the council and said it was "committed to protecting the environment and keeping taps flowing".

'Sky-rocketing bills'

During a council meeting, the authority approved a motion to end water privatisation and request Thames Water's CEO, Sarah Bentley, attend a meeting open to all councillors.

Mr Jarvis said: "We've seen billions of pounds siphoned off to shareholders and a complete failure to invest in infrastructure to reduce leaks - all alongside sky-rocketing bills.

"It's now becoming clearer and clearer that it is a legalised scam, which exists solely to benefit shareholders, to the detriment of both people and the planet."

Councillor Lois Muddiman said: "Thames Water dumped raw sewage in the rivers around Oxford, over 5,000 times last year."

She said the firm was ordered to pay more than £50m back to customers "because of their poor performance, more than any other UK water company".

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We're committed to protecting the environment and keeping taps flowing for our customers across the south east and Oxfordshire.

'Transparency'

"We have written to Councillor Susan Brown at Oxford City Council and welcome ongoing discussions with the council."

They said finding and fixing leaks was a "top priority" and discharges of untreated sewage were "unacceptable".

They added the firm would work with the government, Ofwat and the Environment Agency to "accelerate work to stop them being necessary and are determined to be transparent".

"Shareholders are in it for the long-term and have not taken a dividend for five years to prioritise investment in improving service for customers and to protect the environment," they continued.