Household water bills in England and Wales are to rise by an average £19 a year over the next five years – a third less than the increase requested by companies, under draft proposals announced by Ofwat. Ms Reeves promised the Government will “get a grip” on the water sector, saying: “It’s clearly a bitter pill for people who are seeing today’s announcements about higher water bills. “This reflects 14 years of failure from the Conservatives to drive investment to reduce pollution, and to ensure that families are not struggling the way that they have been with the cost-of-living crisis.
” She added: “It’s why the Secretary of State for Environment, Steve Reed, has called in the 16 bosses of the water companies today. “Also, we’ve already announced tough new rules to ensure that money that is supposed to go into infrastructure cannot just be paid out in bonuses, and tougher rules around polluting as well. “We’re determined to get a grip on the water sector so it delivers for consumers, and so that we stop polluting our beautiful seas and rivers.
We will get a grip of that.” After the meeting, Mr Reed said water bosses had signed up to an initial package of reforms “as we work towards cleaning up our water, prioritising the interests of water customers and the environment, and fixing our broken sewage system”. The regulator said water firms had proposed increases averaging £144 over five years.
For example, Thames Water’s planned rise of £19.